When The Cloudburst Meets The Blaze
by Rhythmic5
Summary: Sequel to My Saving Raine. Seven years ago, Raine left Narnia and the love of her life behind. What happens when she is captured and taken back to Narnia, only to find out King Caspian isn't the man he was when she left him? Caspian/Raine. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

A/N

Here's the first chapter of the Sequel of _My Saving Raine_. Just to give you an idea of what we're looking at now...

Six years have passed for Raine. Seven years have passed for Caspian.

Raine has moved along in life as Aslan intended for her to do. She's about to graduate from college and she'll soon be taking on her first paying gig as an assistant choir director at a local school district. Life has continued around her...one of her best friend's is newly married and having the time of her life. But what's left for Raine? The only life and love she ever wanted lives on in a world that, she is beginning to wonder, may not even exist.

Caspian has moved along as well...for the worst. He has turned cold and bitter, and he's no longer the sweet, caring man he once was. Everything that should have happened in Narnia after Raine left didn't. The world is savage and cruel. And somehow, it all comes back to the day Raine walked through the portal, holding the heart of Narnia's king in her hands.

I hope that gives you some kind of idea of where we're headed. It's not pretty...but with time it will get better.

And we all know the drill. Anything C.S. Lewis came up with isn't mine. Unfortunately...[sad face].

And this really doesn't follow the movie or the book. It's just the stuff that's coming from my twisted imagination. So...enjoy!

* * *

**When The Cloudburst Meets The Blaze**

Ch.1

Forever Seeking What Was Lost

**Cornelius's POV**

"Where is His Majesty? We've a dilemma in the village that requires his attention," a young foot soldier asked, standing before me. The boy could not have been much older than the king, but his eyes were full and alive; youth and innocence shone brightly in his molasses colored eyes. Caspian's eyes were dull and empty, and he looked far older than he actually was. If only she would come back…

I smiled at the soldier, waving my hand to him in dismissal. "I believe His Majesty still remains in his chambers. I will alert him." After watching the boy scurry back through the heavy doors of the throne room, I turned to find the king. My feet followed the familiar path to his chambers, as they traveled this route several times a day, seeking out Caspian when he wasn't seeing to his throne. After turning many corners and ascending many steps I reached his door, and the sounds of moaning and panting that reached my ears made me feel sick. It seemed that the king had decided to leave his morning open for 'recreation'.

I had considered knocking, but decided that the matters at hand were far more important than his 'sport' and opened the door, taking a deep breath to prepare myself for what I knew I would find. And sure enough, as I stepped in I saw two unclad women sprawled beneath the king, their skin flushed with heat and pleasure. Upon hearing my entry, all three pairs of eyes sought me and two shrill screams were heard. But Caspian's response was far less concerned.

"Cornelius, is it truly such a difficult task to knock?" He asked flatly, rolling off of the two women and lying on his side.

I felt my face fall at his lack of concern. It didn't seem to bother him at all that he was bedding two strangers, or that I had just walked in on his distasteful act. I raised my gaze to the two ladies, whose eyes were wide with fright. I smiled gently. "I apologize, dear ladies, for the interruption. But I must ask for your pardon. I wish for a moment alone with His Majesty."

The two women, who didn't look a day over seventeen, looked at each other as they held their sheets over their exposed bodies and then looked to Caspian. The king was sitting on the edge of his bed, his face expressionless. "Don't go anywhere. Anything he has to say can be said now. Besides," he casted a sideways glance to the two girls, "we're not finished yet."

I could feel my stomach turning. Both the women that he 'wasn't finished with yet' were ten years younger than he was. I also thought it odd that they were the age of Raine when they fell in love…and the age she was when she left him behind. As much as I wished for the two girls to leave and get on with their lives, I knew he wasn't going to let them go. So I stepped toward the end of the bed and began.

"Your Majesty, one of your men has brought it to my attention that there is a matter in town that you must see to," I said, looking at him over my spectacles. His face didn't change.

"Is that all?"

"It is, my king."

The king's eyes moved from me back to the blushing maidens, who looked as if they were more than ready to leave my sight. "Alright then, Cornelius you are dismissed." And at that, he rolled back over the two girls, pushing them back down into the plush mattress beneath them. His lips plundered one of the girl's breasts and I heard the girl gasp loudly. He growled gruffly in response. I wasn't at all surprised that he carried on without seeing me out first. Seeing that he was completely occupied and would not hear me anymore for the moment, I turned and left, shutting the door behind me.

Sadness took its place in my heart where it had begun to dwell. My dear boy, my dear Caspian was not the strong, loving, joyful boy he had once been. After losing his love, his heart turned cold and uncaring. Now he barely occupied his throne, leaving it to me to watch over. He had made it my job to inform him if anything needed his attention. I once used to be his friend and mentor. Now I was nothing more than his messenger.

I rounded a corner and entered the throne room once more. Behind the throne was a stained glass window with a depiction of Caspian's father, King Caspian IX. I took it upon myself to watch after the boy when his parents had been killed brutally at the hands of his uncle. I made sure he was cared for and saw to it that he was given some direction to follow in hopes that one day he could be a better ruler than those before him…and better than his ruthless uncle. I kneeled before the throne as my eyes fell on the glass portrait. The long deceased king's eyes bored through mine as if knowing what had befallen his only son. And I couldn't help but feel the burden of my guilt.

I closed my eyes, and I could see the two maidens Caspian was lying with. Both were of fair complexion, with blue eyes and dark, almost black hair. Both resembled the woman he once wanted as his queen. Both were exactly her age. I couldn't help but to hope that maybe, somewhere in his shadowed heart, he still loved her. And maybe, by Aslan's gift, one day she would return to him and mend what had been broken. For I knew she was the only one who could.

* * *

**Raine's POV**

_Seven-twenty-five._

"Dammit, I'm late," I cursed as I put a little more pressure on the gas pedal. I was supposed to meet Kate and Audra at a fancy spancy restaurant in town for dinner. Audra and her new hubby were leaving for their honeymoon in the Grand Cayman's tomorrow, and Kate and I wanted to celebrate with them one last time before they went. Suddenly my phone started ringing. It was Kate.

"Dude, where are you?" I could hear the mild irritation in her voice. She hated it when people weren't punctual.

"I'm almost there, I swear. I took a little longer in the library than I meant to."

Kate sighed deeply on the other end of the line. "Man, are you serious? It's friggin Friday…what the hell are you doing in the library?"

"I wasn't just in the libarary…I was in a practice room before that…"

"Ah, well I guess I can't blame you for that. 'Feels like I've been living in the practice rooms this week," she faded off. "When are you going to get here? Audra and Bud are already here, and we're all getting pretty hungry…is that rain?"

I gripped the wheel tightly with my right hand, holding my phone up to my ear with my other. I was squinting to see through the fat drops of rain that were pelting my windshield. "Yea, the bottom just fell out. But I'm almost there. I'll see you in a minute or two." And without saying bye I let my phone slide shut. I really hated talking on the phone and driving. Finally I could see the restaurant's lit up sign gleaming through my blurry windshield.

I found a place to park and let the engine die, eyeing my window with a pout. Of all days for it to rain! And of course I didn't have an umbrella…the forecast didn't mention anything about rain. Damn this Texas weather! I grabbed my purse, tucked it into my sweater, and lunged out of the car, locking the door behind me with a 'beep', and made a run for the door. I still got pretty soaked, though. When I walked in, Kate was sitting in the lobby holding a wad of tissue paper.

"Hey, Cuz, it looks like you could use this," she grinned teasingly as I took the paper from her, wiping my face dry. Good thing I didn't bother wearing make up today… After drying myself off the best I could she lead me into the restaurant in the direction of our table. When we got to the table I saw Audra and her husband leaning against each other, their noses touching and content smiles spreading on their lips. I froze in my steps at the sight, feeling a lump rise in my throat. Kate kept walking and took a seat, unknowing of my dilemma. She looked to her side to realize I wasn't there, and looked up at me with questioning eyes. She followed my gaze to our best friend and her husband, and she looked back to me, sympathy glowing in her green eyes. Then she cleared her throat, and the two broke away from each other. At seeing each other, Audra leapt from her chair and tackled me in a hug. Bud walked around the table to clap me on the back.

"Girl, I was afraid you weren't going to make it!" She cooed through her smile as she swayed me back and forth.

"Oh, I wouldn't miss this, chick," I smiled back at her, my eyes landing on Bud and feeling my heart fall, "not for the world."

Bud gave me a pat on the back before taking his bouncing wife in his arms and leading her back to the table. After taking a few deep breaths I took my seat beside Kate. I picked up the menu and opened it up, letting my eyes scan over its contents. But not a word of it was read. I suddenly didn't have an appetite. All I wanted was to go home and curl up in front of the fire with my quilt and watch the flames crack. I didn't want to be here, sitting across from my best friend…watching her touch and kiss the love of her life. I didn't want to feel the love that was radiating from them. But tonight wasn't about me. It was about her and Bud. And I would be damned if I was going to sit here and mope about the love I had and lost.

I was pulled away from my thoughts when Kate tapped me on the shoulder. "Hmm?" I turned to look at her. And I had to stifle a laugh as I saw the look on her face and followed her gaze. On the other side of the restaurant there was a man waiting on a table. He had platinum blonde hair and a deep, natural tan. He had a nice build, too.

"Would you check that out?" She whispered, her eyes flashing back from me to him.

I snickered. "Yea, he's kinda pretty," I answered modestly. I wasn't really into blondes.

She looked at me incredulously. "Pretty? What the…Raine are you seeing the same guy I'm seeing? He's more than pretty, he's friggin delicious!"

I heard Audra giggling and started laughing harder. I swear she sounds like a chipmunk when she laughs. Beside her, Bud was shaking his hand and laughing. I just looked back to my goggling cousin beside me. "Whatever you say."

She finally managed to tear her eyes off of the waiter's form to look back at me, and clicked her tongue. "Tsk, tsk, Cuz. You just don't have any appreciation for beautiful men, I guess."

I laughed lightly at her banter but held my tongue. I had appreciation, but I left it in Narnia.

I felt a kick from under the table, and looked up to see Audra beaming up at our waiter who had just approached the table. It was the poor guy that Kate had been gawking at. I could see Bud smirking and doing his best to keep his composure.

"Hello, I'm David and I'll be your server this evening," he paused, looking oddly at his tablet after seeing the way Kate was looking at him. "Could I start you guys out with an appetizer and some beverages?"

"I think I'll have a coke," I said, pinching Kate under the table to draw her back to the present. She flinched and looked at me before blushing a little.

"And you miss?" the waiter looked at Kate, grinning lopsidedly. _He's not helping…_

"I, um..I- I think I'll have a sprite," she stuttered out, looking down at her lap to keep from staring again.

Bud spoke up from the other side. "And we'll both have dr. pepper."

David the Delicious Waiter dabbled down their selections and looked back up at us, avoiding looking at Kate. "Alright, I'll give you a few minutes to look over the menu and I'll be right out with your drinks." As he walked away, Kate slowly raised her head, watching him walk away.

"Grrrrrrrraow," she purred as she eyed his ass, watching him disappear into the kitchen.

Audra chuckled. "Jesus, Kate."

Kate just looked up at her, her cheeks as red as her fiery hair. "Hey, that boy was HOT!"

I just laughed, shaking my head. "Yea, but damn, Cuz. He's a human being, not a quartered loin at a meat market." The minute the words left my lips I had a flashback.

"_I have responsibilities, Raine. You cannot expect me to spend every waking moment with you."_

"_Yea, you've got responsibilities, alright. Eyeing poor Susan like she's a quartered loin at the meat market. Stalking her like a stag in the woods. Ha!" I never thought I would ever look at him the way I was looking at him now. "Yea, let me tell you, I can see that you have your hands full." I looked over to Susan to see her staring at the ground, looking as if she was counting every blade of grass that grew between the weeds. "...And since you're so heavily occupied, what I'm doing with the army should be the least of your worries. So, if I were you, I would back the fuck off." _

I squeezed my eyes shut at memory, balling up the edge of the table spread in my hands. Caspian. My Caspian…the night he realized that he was hurting me by ignoring me. It was also the night that I hurt him by letting him go…the night I gave up on everything. But later I realized that I could never give up on him.

A frosted glass of soda was placed on the table in front of me, and I ripped myself out of my memory and back to reality. Caspian was gone. He was in Narnia, along with my heart. That was in the past and there was nothing I could do to bring it all back. I looked up to see Audra and Bud peck each other on the lips sweetly, and bit back the urge to cry. But this night was hers, not mine. And so I held my head up higher and pushed back the traces of tears that had begun to form.

After dinner, we all made our way to the parking lot. The storm had stopped long ago and the air was cool and carried the scent of earth. I took a deep breath, briefly remembering the pure air that I inhaled in Narnia.

"Well, I guess this is it," Audra said weakly, looking at me and Kate shyly with her hands crossed in front of her. She looked at us until she couldn't hold it any longer. The next thing I knew she had both me and my cousin in a bone-crushing hug. "I'm gonna miss you guys so much!"

"It's only a few weeks, Audra," Kate reminded her, pulling away and smiling at her.

"I know, but we've never been apart for longer than a few days," she said weakly, wiping away a stray tear.

I hugged her again, swaying from side to side. "Oh, now don't do that. You go on this trip and you two have fun together. Enjoy your time in paradise, because when you get back you're going to have to help me restrain Kate from raping that poor waiter," I giggled while watching Kate's eyes widen in defense.

"You're a bitch." She said, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at me.

Three of us just laughed. Then Bud and Audra turned away, climbing into the front seat of his mustang. As the mustang pulled out of the parking lot I could see Audra's white hand waving at us through the passenger side window. We both waved back.

Kate turned to look at me, a perfectly shaped brow raising. "Alright, it's your turn."

"Hmm?" I asked, turning to face her.

"Well, Audra's the first to get hitched, and you've gotta be next."

_No, you are. I will never marry, because I can never love._

But instead of letting loose the tears I felt welling up, I smiled and turned away. "We'll see, we'll see."

We both got into our separate vehicles. I rolled down my window and looked over at her, motioning for her to do the same. When she rolled it down, she shouted across to me, "What is it?"

"Are you going back to the house or do you have some stuff to do before?"

She looked at me in thought, popping the gum she was chewing on. "I actually need to make a few stops before I head home."

I nodded. "So I'll see you back home?"

"Yea."

I rolled my window back up and backed out of the parking space, peeling out of the lot. As much as I had wanted to see Audra before she left for her honeymoon, I wanted nothing more than to be home. It was a fifteen minute drive back to our house. We kinda lived in a secluded neighborhood. It was a suburban neighborhood, but the homes were spaced out and surrounded by woods. When I pulled into our drive, I killed the engine. I grabbed my bag and got out, looking up at the sky.

The stars were winking at me from their dark canopy. Sadly, I sighed wishing that there were as many stars here as there were in Narnia. But I knew there was no use in thinking about my other home. I could never go back, and I would never see Caspian again.

* * *

A/N

So here we go. Is it what you expected? Hmm...let me know what you think.

~Rhythmic5


	2. Chapter 2

Life As I Know It

Walking up the steppingstone path to the front door, I couldn't help but to shiver. The night air was warm, but something was amiss. I halted my step and spun on my heel, inspecting the moonlit wood around me. But I didn't see anything out of the norm. Our porch swing was creaking lightly in the gentle breeze and a few of our younger fledgling trees were swaying with its force. Other than that, nothing moved. I closed my eyes to calm myself before stepping onto the porch. I took out my key and stuck it in the lock, twisting it till I heard the 'click'. But the sound never came. The door swung open from my pressure, which was odd. I knew I had locked it this morning. Maybe one of the girls forgot to. But something still didn't feel quite right. I walked in slowly, peering around the darkened living room. Suddenly something big rammed into my feet and a loud cry sounded.

I jumped and turned to see Tipper, Audra's tabby cat running out the door. I let out the breath I had held and flipped up the switch to turn on the living room light. Everything looked just as I had left it, and nothing could be heard but the gentle swishing of the ceiling fan. "Hello?" I called, wondering if maybe Kate had come home after all. But nothing answered. I shrugged my shoulders, knowing that everything was as it should be. I picked up the remote and turned on the tv, snorting as Conan O'brien popped up on the screen.

The house was quiet and peaceful, just the way I liked it. After tonight I needed some time to myself. Seeing Audra and Bud together, happily married at last had sent me into a whirlwind of thoughts.

We met Bud during our freshmen year of high school. He had transferred from another school and created quite the buzz in our class of four hundred. Even some of the upperclassmen girls were interested in him. He had been really into the athletic program and started playing first-string in football. Everyone thought he was the hottest thing since Ramen noodles. He got offers from lots of girls, but none of them seemed to interest him.

One day the three of us were bickering during lunch. I say it like it was an everyday ritual because it was. We were going back and forth over something when Brandon 'Bud' Altman walked up to our table. None of us had thought anything of him. To us he was just another cocky jock who thought he could have any girl he wanted…so you can probably imagine the expressions on our faces when he came strutting up to our table with his cronies behind him. We didn't even try to hide our sneers when he looked at Audra in her a-little-too-low cut blouse. I won't even tell you what his first words and pick up line were. It was just too tragic. That was the first time we met him and we automatically thought he was a dumb tool. But it turned out that sometime down the line he changed, and Audra saw something in him that neither Kate or I did. They went out on a date and had been together since. It was no surprise to us when he proposed to her the day of her graduation from college. We actually expected it to come sooner.

I smiled as I remembered their wedding day. Audra was never one for sticking to tradition, so she insisted on wearing a pink dress instead of a white one for her wedding. And I swear she did it just to piss me off…she made her bridesmaids where pale pink. I. Hate. Pink. But I sucked it up and went with since it was for her wedding, and we were all so proud that she had found someone worthy. It had been a rough day for many of us, because it meant that Audra's parents wouldn't have their little girl anymore and the three of us would have to start carrying on in our own lives. But that's not what caused my breakdown at midnight when I got home from the reception.

Looking back had made me really tired, and I didn't see a reason to stay awake. I sleepily made my way to my bedroom and didn't even have time to undress before collapsing face-first into my comfy bed. I burrowed into my blankets, sighing as I sunk into the mattress. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, feeling a tear slide down my cheek as the image of warm chocolate brown eyes flashed across my mind.

* * *

Light streamed through my closed lids and I could hear feet scuffling across the floor. Then I heard, "Time to wake up, little homie."

I rolled over and buried my face beneath my pillow, blocking out the light. "I'm not little anymore."

Then my pillow disappeared. I opened my eyes slowly to see Kate standing at the foot of my bed with my pillow in hand. She was wearing an oversized Dallas Mavericks jersey and extra large basketball shorts with a cap turned to the side. "Man, get up. It's eleven-thirty."

I turned over and covered my face with my arms. "But I don't wanna." Then my pillow came flying across the room and whacked me in the ass.

"Man, get up. I made coffee and everything." She whined, smacking my ass and making a loud 'pop' sound.

"Why in the heck are you so abusive?" I said through a crooked grin as I raised up. When she looked at me she burst out laughing, covering her face with both hands.

"Wha??" I asked, turning to look across the room in my vanity mirror. My hair looked like I soaked it with Crisco and then stuck my finger in an electric outlet. I groaned, trying to rake my fingers through it to flatten it…but to no avail. I looked back up at Kate who was leaning against my dresser for support as she guffawed.

I stood up and rushed to the bathroom and started tackling my hair with my brush. I left the door cracked so I could still talk to Kate. "You know you and Audra are the only ones who drink that stuff."

"Whatever. You love Starbucks!" She cried, picking up another pillow and running towards me with it.

"I only like the frappacinos that don't have coffee in them…" I turned back to the mirror, hacking away at my tangled hair.

SMACK!

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

"You're a bitch," I said flatly, giving her a sideways glance.

"I know. Now hurry up and come eat the breakfast I've been slaving over all morning." She shuffled out of the room. I stood in silence waiting for what I knew would come next. As I called it, I heard Paramore start playing on her stereo and she started singing to it. Paramore wasn't in her range…

I had finally gotten the rat's nest out of my hair and had breakfast. It was a nice day outside and our flowerbed needed to be weeded. Needed to be weeded…that rhymed…ha! Anyways, I was outside pulling thistle out of our geraniums when I heard the crunching of wheels on our driveway. I turned to see the red Ford pick-up truck that I had grown to hate. I turned back to what I was doing, hoping that if I ignored him he would go away. Unfortunately that wasn't how it worked.

"RAINE!"

I groaned and turned, a weed in one hand and a mini-shovel in the other. "What?"

Dalton Taylor stood in front of me, just as good looking as ever, but also as much of a pain in my ass as ever. He was leaning against the post on our porch, looking around like he owned the place. You have no idea how badly I wanted to plant my mini-shovel in his pretty little face. "You know what."

"Actually, I don't. Now if you would be so kind as to leave, I would like to get back to my yardwork," I threw my weed at him and hit square in the chest with it. I smirked at the nice little brown smudge that smeared against his perfect white polo.

He looked back up at me in disgust. "Really, now, was that necessary?"

"I can do much worse. Now get off of my property."

I don't know what made him think he had the right to touch me, but I suddenly felt him pressed against my back and he pulled me back against him with his arms. I stiffened and clenched my fists. "I will, as soon as you tell me where your mother is."

I glared at the brick wall of my house, not wanting to look at him. "If she wanted to be found , she would tell you herself."

His hands started sliding up my side and stopped just below my breasts. "You know, we wouldn't be in this predicament if you hadn't blabbed about my grandpa." That was the straw that broke the camel's back. I turned around and smacked my mini-shovel right across his right cheek.

"You don't know what you're talking about. I wasn't even conscious when he was arrested," I growled, pushing him backward.

"Conscious or not, it's still your fault." He said, prodding his red cheek with a finger. There was no way he was going to give up. I turned and treaded up the steps to the porch, rushing over the threshold and slamming the door in his face. I laid my back against it, listening to his fist pounding the door. "Open the door Raine. What's the matter? You didn't mind being a slut with my grandpa…" I scoffed, opening the door to the coat closet. Inside was the shotgun that we kept loaded for emergencies. I grabbed the gun, pumped it twice and opened the door. When he saw me holding the gun his eyes grew wide.

"Dalton Taylor, you've got five seconds to get your goddamned white trash ass off of my property," I said through gritted teeth, pointing the gun at him.

"You know you won't shoot me. Do you really wanna join my grandpa behind bars?" He threatened narrowing his eyes.

I took a step out of the door, placing the gun's barrel against his chest. "Do you really think that the law is going to stop me?"

"You don't have the balls to do it," he threatened.

"One," I counted.

"Go ahead, whore. Pull the trigger." He flicked his tongue at me and my skin began to crawl.

"Two," I continued.

His eyes widened, seeing that I was serious. He slowly backed away and turned, walking down the steppingstone path.

"Three."

"I can see why grandpa hated you now. I've never met a bigger bitch."

"Four."

He opened the door of his pickup truck, and jumped in. I didn't lower the gun until his truck was out of my drive.

"What the hell, Annie Oakley?" Kate asked, coming up behind me. She watched the red truck drive down the road and her eyes narrowed. "Him again?"

I nodded, walking back into the house and putting the gun back in the closet. "Some people never change."

* * *

A/N

Okay, it was a little short. Sorry about that. I just wanted you to see what Raine is still having to put up. I thought the whole shotgun thing was a nice tough, though. ;-)

~Rhythmic5


	3. Chapter 3

Bitter and Cold

**Caspian's POV**

Gasps could be heard as I rode into the village with my royal guard. Rarely did I ever ride into town, and when I did the people's fear was almost tangible. Ahead of me two guards rode, and behind me rode two more. The sun was shining brightly and I had to squint my eyes to see around me. It was beating down on the back of my neck, and my armor felt like a thermos over my body.

Ahead of me I could see two small boys being braced by two of my men. The smaller of the two was badly bruised and the other had a busted lip. I dismounted Destrier and approached the scene. At my arrival one of the soldiers looked to me and bowed his head. "Your Highness, there has been a disturbance."

I nodded. _Obviously, or I wouldn't have been called away from what I was doing…or might I say who._ I chuckled inwardly at the thought.

"What happened?" I asked, glancing at the small boy in his arms. He was very young and looked up at me with dark frightened eyes. He looked nervously and I followed his gaze. A few feet away was a farmer's stand where fruit was sold. At least two dozen apples were strewn on the ground.

"These two rogues started a little scuffle and wreaked havoc in the farmer's market," the guard sneered, giving the small boy a rough shake. The boy cried out and began to sob. I looked around at the crowd of onlookers who had gathered.

"Where is this boy's mother?" I called out to the crowd, my eyes scanning to see if anyone came forward. But no one did. Instead a deep male voice from behind me spoke.

"She's dead, milord. He is under my mother's care, for his mother left him to us to watch over." I turned to face the voice. And the face I saw looked familiar. Who was he? He had sandy red hair with vibrant green eyes and a strong face. He didn't look Telmarine…his skin was far too light and no Telmarine he ever knew had red hair.

"And who are you?" I asked gruffly, stepping forward until I was towering over him. He looked up at me with surprised eyes.

"Y-you don't remember me?" The voice almost sounded disappointed.

I guffawed sarcastically. "I don't associate myself with many peasants, boy. Now tell me, what is your name."

The green eyes sent familiarity coursing through me. I knew those eyes. I knew that face. "M'name's Neron, Your Majesty."

"Neron!" A thick feminine voice cried. My head snapped around to see a woman break through the crowd. She first looked from me to the boy before me, then her eyes flew to the small boy in my guard's hold. At the sight of his tears trailing through the grime on his face, she flew to his side and tugged him away from the soldier. "Neron, what happened?" She asked, wiping away the small boy's tears with her apron.

Neron looked away from me to face the woman. "Damion got a hold of him again." My eyes moved to land on the larger boy in the scuffle. He was smirking proudly. The woman holding the smaller boy just glared at him and clicked her tongue.

"I don't understand why you must beat on those who are smaller than you, Damion."

"He's not man enough to fight back," the boy puffed out his chest, smirking. The woman looked back at him and stood, stepping over to him.

"And neither are you, boy. How old do you think you are? You're not a day older than nine."

"You can keep your nose out of it, Adeline. Someday my boy will be great and strong, while yours will be sweeping his floors." A deep male voice chortled from the crowd.

"Adeline?" I looked at the woman. _Adeline? _Could it be the woman I had fought alongside so many years ago? The woman turned to face me, and her emerald eyes nearly tore through me. Her red hair was pulled into a messy bun with a few stray strands falling beside her face. She definitely wasn't Telmarine. I saw the similarities between her and Neron. And I knew they were the same people I used to call friends.

"Your Majesty?" She said, dipping her head as she curtsied. I just stared at her, noting how roughly the past seven years had treated her. Her face was no longer smooth and delicate. Worry lines edged her eyes and lips and a few silver strands wisped through her hair. One of my guards stepped forward from behind me, regaining my attention.

"What shall we do with them, my king?" He gestured to the two boys. Damion looked up at me defiantly, as if daring me to punish him. The smaller boy retracted into Adeline's arms.

I normally would have had them both carried off to the isolation chambers in the dungeons, regardless of their age. But meeting Adeline and Neron after so many years had me floored to my place. I looked back at the guard, blinking. "I care not. Deal with them as you see fit." I turned and remounted Destrier. I sent a glare over the crowd again and spurred the horse in the flank, sending him cantering back to the castle.

* * *

**Adeline's POV**

Blaidred was trembling in my arms. He kept knocking into my chest with his nervous jittering and each time he would cry out with pain. I could see purple blotches rising on his skin where Damion had beaten him. Anger was boiling in the pit of my stomach as I looked at the ornery little boy.

"Adeline?" I looked up to see King Caspian looking at me, his eyes narrowed in recognition.

_It's about time he remembered who I am, _I thought. I could see his eyes scanning me from head to toe as he inspected me. I felt bile rising in my throat as they roamed over my body. I had heard about his revolting escapades. I knew what he did to women…more like girls. I knew that protesting would only land me in trouble, so I bit back my tongue. Instead I took the moment to observe him. He had twenty-eight summers behind him, but he looked much older. The king looked closer to middle-age. His eyes were far darker than they used to be…they almost seemed empty. There were creases around his eyes and his mouth from years of frowning. An uneven scar ran up from the middle of his left cheek over his eye where an opponent had gotten far too close. I noticed when he approached the crowd that there was a minute hitch in his stride that never improved after a severe injury. The king was not the boy I remembered. He had grown to be a man, a cruel, unfeeling, bitter-hearted man. The joy and light he used to beam with was gone from his heart. I silently wondered if he still had a heart at all. After Raine left seven years ago, I would have sworn that she walked through the portal with more than just her own broken heart in her hands.

"Your Majesty?" I dipped my head to hide the sadness in my eyes as I curtsied to him. I looked up to see his eyes soften as he looked down upon me. It almost sparked hope within me, because for a moment I thought I saw a flash of who he used to be in his eyes.

One of the men on his guard stepped forward. "What shall we do with them, my king?" He gestured first to Damion, who was glaring back at the king, then to Blaidred who was shaking in my arms. King Caspian finally broke his gaze from me and looked back to his guard with a misplaced look on his face.

"I care not. Deal with them as you see fit." He turned, hoisting himself back onto his horse and sending one last glare at the crowd around me. Then he rode away, back to the castle where he would no doubt spend the rest of the day filling his bed with more young, susceptible virgins. I hugged Blaidred, careful not to put any extra pressure on his bruises. Neron was standing beside me, rubbing my back as he could sense my discomfort.

"He's changed so much. I would hardly recognize him if not for the title," Neron said, stroking Blaidred's quivering back with an outstretched hand. Neron had grown so much over the past years. He now stood tall enough that he towered over me.

"Nor would I," I said almost absentmindedly. I looked up at the fading light in the sky. "It's getting late. We should return." Neron nodded, taking my free hand in his and leading me home. I chanced a glance back at the gargantuan castle behind me. I knew the King was suffering, even if he looked tough and unfeeling on the outside. I wished that maybe one day Raine could come back. Then things would get better. If only Aslan could bring her back.

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

I handed Destrier to a young stable hand who seemed to cower in my presence. Cower! After I looked down at him in disgust I made for the castle. Upon entry I ran into Cornelius. The aged old man was making his way toward me as he leaned upon his staff that he recently took up for support.

"Your Majesty," he stepped up to me, taking my hand in between his. I remembered how he used to do so in a comforting manner. But now it was just in spite. He didn't approve of the man I had become; he believed that he had brought me up better. He hated the way I ruled the kingdom. From day to day he would come to me and ask me why I did things they way I did, or why I was so careless in my decisions. Last I checked it was I who bore the crown, not he.

I tried to turn and avoid him. "Cornelius," I said as I strode away. I made for my chambers where I could sit back and reflect on the happenings of the day.

"I was hoping I could have a word with you," he said meekly, watching me over his spectacles.

I quickened my pace. "I apologize, Doctor, but I was just going to my chambers to catch my breath if you don't mind."

"But Your Majesty, there are matters that need your attention," he piped up, picking up his pace. His staff was clapping loudly against the stone floor as he walked.

"They can wait, Cornelius. I need just a moment to-,"

"Caspian." The sound of my name stung against the walls of my eardrums. No one had said my name that way in years. I halted and turned, my eyes burning in fury.

"You dare to speak my name so unceremoniously," my voice deepened as I glared at him. I took slow steps toward him, expecting him to cower in my presence. But Cornelius never showed fear in front of me. Never.

"I hardly see the need for formalities with you, boy. I used to serve as a mentor to you, or have you forgotten everything from your past?" Cornelius said, also taking a step forward.

"That was before I took the throne, Doctor. Things are different now. I have responsibilities…there is no time for meandering about carelessly and observing the stars," I said deeply, stopping right in front of him so that I looked down at him. Most people would tremble in fear in this position, but not Cornelius.

"I'm so glad you mentioned responsibilities, my king. When will you start handling them again?" he drew sarcastically as he looked back up at me. I felt the low rumbling in my chest as I growled, reaching out and striking at the elderly man. He fell backwards against the wall where a beam caught his fall.

"When I please." And without another glance, I stomped away toward my chambers. What would it take to have a moment to myself?

Cornelius's POV

"Doctor, are you alright?" A worried voice cried, echoing through the stone hall. I slid to the floor from the king's strike, landing roughly. I turned with great effort to see one of the servant's rushing toward me, holding her skirts up to run. She reached my side and took my hand with one of hers, perusing my face with the other.

"I think so. He didn't hit me hard," I said weakly, unbelieving that he had actually struck me. Never had he ever tried to harm me.

"Does anything hurt?" she said franticly, scanning me for wounds.

"He only hit me, Farrah. Nothing more."

"I know…it's just," she paused, lifting her gaze to glance down the hall that the king had left through, "He has turned bitter and cold, and he cares for no one…not even himself. I wouldn't have been surprised had he tried to do more than simply hit you."

"Well, he didn't. Could you help me up, my dear? There's not enough strength left in these old bones to stand on my own," I said lightly, offering her a smile. She stood and placed her hands beneath my shoulders, helping me to my feet. I laughed when we had managed to raise me to my feet and took her hands in mine gently. "Thank you, dear girl. It's a comfort to know there is still a gentle soul left in this castle."

She looked away in the direction of the king's chambers, her eyes watering sadly. "I'm not the only one, Doctor."

I looked back at her, blinking. "I'm sorry, dear. What do you mean?"

"There's more than just one gentle soul left in these stone halls."

I looked at her curiously, marveling at the young wisdom I saw swimming in her eyes. I nodded, encouraging her to continue. She took a deep breath and drug her hand across her cheek, wiping away a stray tear. "The king is still a good man, Doctor. He seems ruthless and cruel, but that is only what we can see on the surface." She rubbed her hands over her apron, smoothing out the wrinkles. "He is hurt from his loss, and he is suffering on the inside. If you look deeply into his eyes, you can almost feel the pain that burdens him."

I beamed at the young servant, knowing that she was right. "I feel you may be one of the few who still believe in him, my dear Farrah." I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before limping away in the direction of the healing wing.

"She's coming back." That stopped me dead in my tracks. I turned slowly to face her.

"Who is, my child?"

She stood tall and bold, holding her head as high as she could despite the tears streaming down her face. "Lady Raine, Doctor. She will come back. And when she does, his heart will heal. And all will be right again."

I smiled at her. "Then let's hope she comes soon."

* * *

A/N

Alright, well, there's another chapter. I'm already getting reviews...flippin' schweet! I know it's starting off a little slow, but I promise it will pick up soon. ;-)

~Rhythmic5


	4. Chapter 4

What's Up, Lonely?

**Raine's POV**

Kate was leaning against the counter in our kitchen, stirring the contents in a pan with one hand as she read a book in another. It was one of her trashy romance novels, no doubt. I was sitting at the bar across from her, reading the cover. _Mistress In Disguise_…definitely a trashy romance. I snorted.

"How do you read that stuff?" I asked when Kate looked up from her double tasking.

"It's good stuff. You wanna read with me?" She tried to hand it to me, but I pushed it away laughing.

"I think I'll have to pass," I eyed the book as if it were a dirty diaper. "Cuz, why don't you just get a boyfriend? Wouldn't that be more fulfilling than reading about men who don't exist?"

She retorted without even lifting her eyes from the book. "Oh yea, because you have _so much_ room to talk, miss 'I'm in love with a prince in a fairy tale world that doesn't exist'." The minute she said it she looked up, her brows slanted in apology. I just looked back at her. I couldn't believe she said it. She _actually_ said it. Yes, I had told her all about my stay in Narnia. She was the only one I had told. And being the dreamer she is, she agreed that my story was semi believable after some convincing. But that comment hurt.

"Narnia exists," I said quietly, my eyes glued to the bar.

Kate sighed. "I'm sorry, Cuz, I don't know why I said that." She finally put her book down and walked around the island to stand beside me.

"He's real, Kate, I know he is."

She started rubbing my back. "I know, I'm sorry. I really don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have said that."

I slowly looked up at her. "I miss him so much, Kate."

She wrapped her arms around me, stroking my hair. "I know you do, Raine. I know you do." That was all she said. That was all she _could_ say. What was she supposed to do? Tell me that I would find a way back to him? That I would see him again, and live happily ever after with him? Yea…the chances of seeing Caspian again were slim. And mourning wouldn't do any of us a bit of good. I took a deep breathe, nudging out of her arms to sit up. She looked at me warily as if waiting to see what I would do. Was she expecting me to just break down?

Kate returned to the boiling pan on the stove, sticking in a ladle for taste test. She blew on it before taking a sip. "I'm gonna go up to the school for a bit…need to do some practicing."

"Practicing…we have a piano here. Why do you have to go up to the school just for that?" I asked, picking up the newspaper and flipping it open to the Fine Arts section. "Ah, man, Cirque Du Soleil's comin' to town. We should totally see that."

She set the ladle on a cloth, turning off the heat on the stove. "Dude, I'm up for it. But anyways, I have to actually work with my ensemble today…or else I would just stay here and practice."

"Ahhh…I see, you're such a good lil music major. How long are ya planning to stay up there?" I asked, scanning the ad.

Kate shrugged. "Meh, I dunno. As long as it takes to get it right. The concert dinner is in two weeks, and I refuse to let my ensemble perform if we aren't close to flawless." She took out two small bowls and started filling them with steaming soup. She set one in front of me, placing a spoon on the side. "What are you up to for the rest of the day?"

I folded the paper back up, sliding it away to start eating. "Oh, just little things here and there. I have some ideas for a new song, so I might be pecking away at the piano when you get back."

She finished the last of her soup before setting the bowl in the sink, grabbed her purse and keys off of the bar, and made for the door. "Sweet. Write something that I can rip off of you one of these days when I win American Idol."

I took a seat on the piano bench, my finger resting on my chin in mock thought. "Yeaaaa, no." Kate only laughed and walked out the door, leaving me to my thoughts. It was a cruel thing, really. Thoughts weren't nice. They taunted me and reminded me of things that made my heart ache dully. And as much as I would plead and beg, they wouldn't leave me be. Now that the den had fallen silent, I could hear them entering the back of my mind.

"Knock, knock…what's up, Lonely?"

"Ah, what's wrong? Missing Prince Non-Existent?"

"…you know you'll _never_ see him again. But it's alright…he'll move on with his life and find another woman who can give him what you never could…"

"STOP!" I shouted, covering my ears and smacking my head down on the keyboard. A loud, eerie cluster of notes jarred out of the keys, echoing in the room as the voices continued to pick at me.

"The truth hurts…"

"You might as well just forget about him. Find a hobby…and _lots_ of cats."

"…he was out of your league, anyway. Why shoot for the stars when you're not good enough to climb the mountains?"

By now I was sobbing against the piano, not bothering to wipe the tears off of the polished wood. I wish I had something I could tell them all that would silence them once and for all. But nothing I could say would be good enough. I raised myself enough to place my fingers back on the ivory keys, and tapped out a few chords.

"That was A flat…see! You suck at your own career! How could you ever lead a country by his side?"

I wanted to scream, but knew it wouldn't do any good. I chuckled wryly. "I'm going crazy. I'm actually hearing voices and yelling back at them now. Oh," I thought, playing a melody several times before getting it down. Then I took a deep breath, and words came pouring forth.

"_Something always brings me back to you_

_It never takes too long_

_No matter what I say or do_

_I still feel you here 'till the moment I'm gone"_

I sighed, remembering how good it felt when Caspian held me in his arms. The way his eyes would twinkle when he looked into mine…the way his entire face would glow when he smiled…It felt as if for a moment he was sitting beside me on the bench, his arms wrapped around me with his face resting on my shoulder, smiling as he listened to me play.

"_You hold me without touch_

_You keep me without chains_

_I never wanted anything so much_

_Than to drown in your love and not feel your rain"_

Suddenly I opened my eyes and remembered he wasn't really there, and I felt cold again. The thoughts sitting around in the back of my mind started to stand up, stalking towards me to hurl more nasty words at me.

"_Set me free, leave me be_

_I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity_

_Here I am and I stand so tall_

_I'm just the way I'm supposed to be_

_But you're on to me and all over me"_

I closed my eyes again, conjuring one of my last memories of him in my mind. It was the day we were walking back to Telmar after winning the war, right after Aslan told me I had to come back. Caspian was weaving his way to me through the crowd, and he looked more beautiful than I had ever seen him. I held that image.

"_You loved me 'cause I'm fragile_

_When I thought that I was strong_

_But you touch me for a little while_

_And all my fragile strength is gone"_

"Sing all you want, Lonely, but it won't bring him back." I shook my head at the thoughts still whirling in my head.

"_Set me free, leave me be_

_I don't wanna fall another moment into your gravity_

_Here I am and I stand so tall_

_I'm just the way I'm supposed to be_

_But you're on to me and all over me"_

I wanted to get back to Caspian more than anything. Somehow, I had to find a way. I couldn't go on without having him by my side, and I knew in my heart that he couldn't either.

"_I live here on my knees_

_As I try to make you see_

_That you're everything I think I need_

_Here on the ground"_

"Dream on, princess, dream on. You haven't even crossed his mind. He has _everything_ he needs in his life, unlike you. Why don't you just give up?"

"_But you're neither friend nor foe_

_Thought I can't seem to let you go_

_The one thing that I still know_

_Is that you're keeping me down_

_You're keeping me down"_

"_You're on to me, on to me, and all over_

_Something always brings me back to you_

_It never takes too long"_

As the last note of the song rang, I opened my eyes, and for the first time I didn't hear any snide remarks from my thoughts. The room was actually quiet…and somewhat peaceful. I smiled lightly, wiping away the last tear that had fallen sometime during the song. I looked up at the ceiling, sighing.

"I'll find a way back to you, my love. I will. If it takes me the rest of my life, I will find you."

Gravity wasn't going to hold me down anymore, and my thoughts weren't going to hold me back.

* * *

A/N

Sorry it was so short. And the lyrics are from "Gravity" by Sara Bareilles. And I couldn't think of a good name for a trashy romance novel...so the one i used will just have to do. I probably could have called my friend who actually owns a collection of them, but I didn't. Anyways, review!

~Rhythmic5


	5. Chapter 5

Memory

**Caspian's POV**

I was losing my ever loving mind. Hours ago I had had the best sex I'd ever had, and just when we finished, I called her _Raine_. Of course, the woman I had been with was astonished and angry and asked me to tell me what her name was. Do you think I _cared _what her name was? So then she gathered up her things, threw on her dress and left…left me to this dark, quiet room of mine. It was dark, and silent. And I HATE silence. I would almost rather be in a room full of angry, bickering old men than to be left in a room alone.

Being alone meant silence was my only company, and silence is the worst company. It torments me and reminds me of every wrong I've made, and every person I've hurt…not that I care much about _what _I've done or _who_ I've hurt, it's just irritating to hear it over and over again. But lately the silence has grown malicious, reminding me of things that I do all I can not to think of. The quiet is a merciless thing. It almost frightens me when I know it's in my presence, because it screams the truth. I am alone. I have no one to care for, and no one who gives a damn for me. But I did have it. I once had a love that almost seems like a silly children's fairy tale, it was so long ago. It seems intangible that I had ever been so…_soft_.

When I collapsed atop the woman I had bedded, I cried out Raine's name. That's because, for the first time in years, it was her I saw instead of the whore beneath me. It was _her_ lavender vanilla scent that I smelt in the air…it was _her_ that I tasted upon my lips…it was _her _who I saw when I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the release. But why? Why…after seven years, why was her memory haunting me now? I had suffered, mourned, and bled after losing her. I cried, shouted, broke things…I made a complete idiot of myself. But eventually, with time and training, I moved on. I learned to shut out the feelings of desertedness and loneliness. I became a man again, and learned what it was to be strong instead of weak.

But even as I laid there, hours after the woman had run from my room, all I could think of was her. And it scared me out of my wits. I was afraid that I would once again soften like clay in a potter's hands. I didn't want to be weak. I didn't want to hurt. I wanted to be strong like every king before me…I wanted my people to respect me…to _fear_ me, just as they should. But right now, that strength was gone. I felt cold and fragile in the darkness, and despite my mind's demand to rid myself of her memory, my heart urged me to cherish it.

"_I still recall the taste of your tears  
Echoing your voice just like the ringing in my ear  
My favorite dreams of you still wash ashore  
Scraping through my head 'til I don't want to sleep anymore"_

I squeezed my eyes shut in frustration, rolling over to face my window. Moonlight poured in through it, making my sheer curtains glow. I could see the last moment we had together. I could feel the pain as if it were a jagged blade slicing through my skin. I curled my arms around myself, pulling my knees up to my chest as I lied, pulling my covers higher so that they ended beneath my chin. I couldn't deny what I felt any longer. I missed her. I needed her more than anything…to tell me it was okay to be fragile, that it was okay to follow my heart, just as she did so many years ago.

"_You make this all go away  
You make this all go away  
I just want something  
I just want something I can never have"_

"_**Never be afraid to show those around you who you really are."**_

Who am I?

"_**Never stand back because you think know one will hear you. Never cease to have faith in yourself, because I never will." **_

When did I _ever_ believe in myself?

"_You always were the one to show me how  
Back then I couldn't do the things that I can do now  
This thing is slowly taking me apart  
Grey would be the color if I had a heart"_

"_**Never deny yourself the happiness that I know you deserve." **_

Happiness…something I had forgotten long ago. I couldn't even remember how it felt to laugh.

"_**When it rains and you're sitting inside alone, don't hold back when you desire to go out and dance in it." **_

When was the last time I danced? Or sang?...or smiled…

"_**When you want to burst out into song and serenade all that you see, don't hold it back. When everything around you starts to weight too heavily on your shoulders, don't let it get you down. Just know that somewhere I am here, helping you to bare it all. When you feel like you're all alone in the world, remember that I love you more than my own life. And I always will."**_

I heard myself whimper and bit down roughly on my lip. These were some of the last words I said to her before letting her go. I hoped she had remembered them and took them to heart. I hoped she lived on happily. I hoped she danced, and smiled, and sang, and loved. Because I knew I didn't.

"_Come on tell me  
You'll make this all go away  
You'll make this all go away  
I'm down to just one thing  
And I'm starting to scare myself  
You'll make this all go away  
You'll make this all go away  
I just want something  
I just want something I can never have"_

"_In this place it seems like much a shame  
Though it all looks different now  
I know it's still the same  
And everywhere I look you're all I see  
Just a fading reminder of who I use to be"_

"_Come on tell me  
You'll make this all go away  
You'll make this all go away  
I'm down to just one thing  
And I'm starting to scare myself  
You'll make this all go away  
You'll make this all go away  
I just want something  
I just want something I can never have  
I just want something I can never have"_

Before she stepped through that portal that took her from me, she said two words that I knew would haunt me for the rest of my life.

"_**Remember me."**_

"How could I not?" I asked the darkness. "How can I forget you when my heart cannot bare to let you go?"

For the first time in years, I felt sobs racking through my body, and I prayed that no one was awake to hear. It would be the downfall of the image I had worked so hard to perfect. But as I cried, and tasted my own tears on my lips, I felt sleep fall upon me like a thick blanket, quieting me as I gave in to its call.

"My love, why do you cry?" A soft voice murmured, breaking the delicate silence that framed my room. My eyes flew open from my slumber, and I sat up in my bed, reaching hastily for my sword from where it rested against the wall.

"Who's there?" I asked, squinting my eyes to see into the darkness. I thought I saw a dark figure in the corner of my room near the window, but I couldn't be sure. I tightened my grip on the sword's hilt, preparing for the worst.

"Why are you afraid of me? I could never hurt you," the voice said almost dejectedly, slowly stepping into the streaming moonlight. First I saw a pale foot, then a leg draped in a white satin gown, and then an entire body stood in the light. And when I looked up and stared into the face of my intruder, I let out a loud gasp, nearly falling out of my bed.

"Q-Querid-da?" I said, choking on the syllables as my tongue worked hard to remember how to say it.

She stepped forward, standing at the foot of my bed, and God help me. She was a vision. Her dark hair set upon her shoulders in gentle waves, framing her porcelain face, and deep blue eyes peered back at me. She stood there, looking upon me as if wondering if it was really me. And for the first time in a long seven years, I felt ashamed. Did she know what I had become? Did she know the vile things I had committed myself to? How could she love a monster…

"Is it really you?" I asked, my voice cracking as my heart resumed its beating.

"It is, or rather, a memory. I am afraid you have forgotten me, my love," she said sadly, looking down at her feet, her hair spilling down over her front.

"I haven't!" I cried, making to stand from the bed. But she threw up a hand, stilling me where I sat.

"Please, my love. I am only here to soothe your aching heart. Sleep evades you and I have come to help you conquer it once again." I sat back, my brows furrowed in confusion. So she was only a figment of my imagination. I truly was losing it. I knew it couldn't have been her…she never spoke in the manner this vision did. I shook my head, trying to squint the illusion out of the darkness.

"This must be a dream," I said, covering my eyes with a hand. But suddenly I felt gentle weight lay against the edge of my bed, and a cool hand took it from my face.

"Then it is a good dream," she said quietly, smiling upon me like the Raine I knew did. Then she took a deep breath and began to sing, lulling me back to sleep.

"_Remember, I will still be here,_

_As long as you hold me in your memory"_

"_Remember, when you're dreams have ended,_

_Time can be transcended,_

_Just remember me"_

"_I am the one star that keeps burning so brightly,_

_It is the last light to fade into the rising sun"_

"_I'm with you_

_Whenever you tell my story,_

_For I am I've done"_

"_Remember, I will still be here,_

_As long as you hold me in your memory_

_Remember me"_

"_I am that one voice in the cold wind that whispers,_

_And if you listen, you'll hear me call across the sky"_

"_As long as I still can reach out and touch you,_

_Then I will never die"_

"_Remember, I'll never leave you,_

_If you will only remember me"_

"_Remember, I will still be here,_

_As long as you hold me in your memory"_

"_Remember, when your dreams have ended,_

_Time can be transcended_

_I live forever_

_Remember me"_

And with the last fading words she sung, I slipped away into sleep, holding her cool hand in mine until it vanished.

* * *

A/N

So yeeeaaa, I kinda went song crazy in this chapter. The first lyrics were "Something I Can Never Have" by Flyleaf. It's a pretty kickass cover of a Nine Inch Nails song. The second song was "Remember Me" by Josh Groban. It's probably going to be a while before I update again, I have tests coming out of my ears and an essay that is due next week. Lucky me. However, I know that I'm bound to get tired of studying and reading at some point and I will probably end up writing and posting anyway.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter...please review! ;-)

~Rhythmic5


	6. Chapter 6

Snatched, Punched, & Owned

**Raine's POV**

I really don't know what it was about raining lately, but it seemed like every time I got in the car and went somewhere, a downpour would come from freaking nowhere. It was almost like this rain cloud honed in on me the second I stepped foot out of my house. I'm not even talking about light drizzle. It was pouring.

My windshield wipers were working double time trying to keep my windshield clear enough to see the road ahead. And, lucky me, it was dark out. After being cooped up inside the house all day, I thought I needed to get out. Going to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner sounded like the perfect excuse.

I slid open my phone and dialed Kate's number. It rang a few times before she answered.

"Y'ello?"

"Dude, I'm going to the store to get some stuff for dinner tonight. Can you think of anything you wanna have?"

"Hmm…since you asked, I'm thinking spaghetti."

Spaghetti…an easy meal. "Works for me. Are you still working with your ensemble?" I asked.

She sighed deeply into the phone. "Yea. I think we're close to being done though. I'll probably head home in a few hours or so."

"Aiiight. Well, I'll let you go, I'm pulling into the marketplace. Later, Cuz," I said, turning the steering wheel with one hand to turn into the parking lot.

"Later, Cuz," she answered, before a click told me she had ended the call. I found a parking space right by the door, and had a Borat moment as I pulled in with a "very, very nice!" It didn't take long to get what I needed and get out, which was great because I hate grocery shopping.

Driving back home wasn't nearly as bad as the drive to the store. The rain had let up quite a bit, so I could actually see the road in front of me. But for some reason, the squirrels were going crazy and I swear to God I had to hit my brakes to dodge about five when I was driving down my street. Now, why, after it rained would these squirrels be running wild? Weird animals…

I was glad when I drove into my driveway. No more crackheaded squirrels. But as I made a dash for the front door from my car, ducking my head as fat rain drops pelted my face, something in the air made my hair stand up. It was like static. I panicked, hearing my mom's voice in my head: _"If you're ever in a storm and you feel the hair on the back of your neck stand up, hit the ground, because more than likely you're about to be struck by lightning." _But what were the chances of that happening? I ran faster, and just as I reached the porch, a bright bolt of lightning zapped the pine tree in the corner of the yard.

"Holy shit!" I screamed as I jumped. I fumbled with the keys in my hands and managed to get the right one into the lock, threw myself inside, and shut the door behind me. I dropped my groceries at my feet, and leaned against the door, trying to catch my breath. The lights were out…that was odd. I had left the living room lamps and the kitchen light on when I left. I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up again and figured that there must have been a power failure. I flicked the light switch and it didn't work. Walking through the kitchen, I saw the digital clock on the microwave was off. Yep, a power failure. That was the only logical explanation.

Or was it.

Just as I was about to step down into the living room, I heard wood creaking. Not like wooden door creaking, either. It was more like footsteps on the wood floor of the hallway creaking. I froze, grabbing for the first thing my hand came in contact with. A gun or a big stick would have been nice, but instead my hand met the flashlight that we kept on the bar for emergencies like this one. I picked it up quickly, turning it on and shining it into the living room. A gasp escaped my lips when I saw its state.

Audra's lazy boy recliner was flipped over on its side, and the quilt that we kept in it was lying in the floor in a heap. The entertainment center was open and dvds were strewn everywhere. A picture that we kept on top of the tv was on the floor, its glass frame smashed to pieces. Someone had been in the house, and whoever it was had ill intentions.

I heard the creaking again, and bit my lip to keep from shouting. I flashed the light in the direction of the hallway and didn't see anything. Quickly I ran to the closet in the entry way and got the shotgun out, pumping it twice in case the intruder was still in the house…_because just getting out of the house and away from the intruder made too much sense_. If you haven't noticed by now, I never take the best choice.

"Hello?" I asked as I slowly advanced toward the hall, holding up my gun. I pricked my ears for the slightest sound of movement. "Is anyone there?"

I took a step up into the hall, the wood groaning beneath my feet. "Hello?" I repeated, looking in every direction and peering into the open bedrooms. No sight, no sound.

My eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness and I put the flashlight in my back pocket, holding the gun with both hands. I walked into the last bedroom at the end of the hall…mine. Nowhere in the house had I seen any sign of an intruder, and I guessed that he wasn't there. I sighed, lowering the gun and looking around the room. Letting my guard down was a mistake, because as soon as I did, something slipped over my head and my vision was obscured. Something heavy and thick was being tied around me, bounding my arms to my sides. The gun clattered to the ground beside me. I was about to shout when something hard met the back of my head, and I fell forward, hitting my head on the bedside table. Everything went black.

* * *

My body was sore and my head was reeling. My eyes slowly opened and I was relieved to see that there was little light. That was easier on the eyes, especially after being knocked out. I looked around the darkened room I was in. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of stone, and this oddly reminded me of when I woke up in the dungeons of Telmar castle. I shivered with the memory, recalling my first encounter with the wicked Lord Miraz. Where _was_ I? It definitely didn't look like the dungeon…it looked more like a cave of some sort. There was moss growing on the walls and a few natural springs oozed from the ground, creating tiny trickling streams that snaked through the rocky floor. One was pouring from the wall that I was sitting against, and I tried to touch it…but my hands were bound in my lap. This was _definitely_ familiar.

"Oh, look who has finally decided to grace us with her presence," a sickeningly sweet voice leered from nearby. I looked up to see a female centaur standing not far from me. Her skin was dark, her hair long and black, and her eyes were the strangest color I had ever seen. They were amber, almost gold. "I hope you slept well, because you're going to need it when we're done with you."

I suddenly heard the echoing of multiple pairs of feet slapping against the stone floor and starting looking in all directions. All around me, Narnians were advancing on me. There were two dark-headed dwarves, a panther, and another centaur, this one male. They walked towards me slowly, their eyes narrowed and their nostrils flared. I jumped back against the wall behind me, shocked at the hostility I saw in their eyes. Didn't they remember me?

"When you're done with me? I don't understand…what's going on?" I asked nervously, trying to twist my wrists free.

"Don't play dumb, girl," one of the dwarves said, standing by my side as he snarled. "We know who you are."

I looked back at him, relaxing slightly. "Oh, great then, can you let me go?"

A dark, almost sadistic laugh echoed through the stone cave, and the female centaur took a few steps forward. "I don't think so. You have job to do."

The two dwarves gripped me tightly, pulling me to my feet. I looked at them, wondering what they meant by that. "A job? What…what will you have me do? I demand an answer, now…or else you'll get nothing from me!" That was the wrong thing to say apparently, because the panther lunged forward and smacked me across the face with her paw. At least two of her claws were out, too, because I felt two nice, pretty little scratches rising along my cheeks.

"You'll demand nothing, Telmarine scum. You're in our charge now, and we'll make the rules," the female centaur said, pounding a fist in the air. "However, it is only fair that we tell you what will be expected of you," she said darkly. "You know the king, do you not?"

I felt a lump rise in my throat at the mention. Was Caspian still king? Surely, because they wouldn't even make the connection if he wasn't, would they? Then I felt my guard rising, having a feeling that they weren't exactly huge fans. "I do."

The centaur took another slow step toward me. "You are the Lady Raine, are you not?"

I nodded, never moving my eyes from her poisonous glare. "I am."

"Perfect," she said, pinching my bruising cheek with her thumb and index finger. "Tell me, when was the last time you had any contact with him." Her golden eyes were gleaming in the mostly dark room, and the effect gave me goosebumps.

"It's been several years since I lost saw him…why?"

The dwarf holding my left shoulder sneered. "Then you've no idea what he's become, have you?"

My head snapped around to look at him, my eyes narrowed as I tried to decipher the meaning of his words. "What are you talking about?" I asked slowly.

"He was probably the perfect prince when you knew him…he probably swept you right off of your feet," the panther, who was also female, sneered maliciously. "Well, after you left, he changed. He's no better than the tyrants who ruled before him, and it's about time we take back the Narnian throne."

I stared at the floor, letting everything they were saying sink in. But the last bit got my attention. "Take back the throne? How…how do you plan to do that?"

The male centaur looked to the female and grinned wickedly. "Well, you see, that is where you come in. You will return to his side in Telmar and carry on where you both left off. And once he has warmed back up to you…" he paused, taking a deep breath to hold in his sadistic thrill.

"…you will kill him." The female finished for him, smiling widely when she saw my eyes widen and heard my loud gasp.

I tried to jump free from the dwarves' holds on me, but they had me. I felt my heart racing, and I was breathing so rapidly you would have thought I had just ran a marathon. I could feel my blood boiling and angry tears were gathering at my eyes. "Kill him! I couldn't…no, you can't…NO!" I wriggled myself away from the dwarves and ran. I didn't exactly know where I was, but I was going to get away from those maniacs nonetheless. I saw the mouth of the cave and darted for it. I heard the Narnians behind me laughing hysterically. Why weren't any of them bothering to come after me? Once I got outside the cave, I saw the sun was setting…not a good time to be on the run in the woods. But I hardly saw how anything could be more of a threat to me than they were, so I didn't care. I just ran as fast as I could.

I must have ran for hours. I finally stopped when I reached the edge of the wood, and looked up to see the moon sitting in the sky straight over head. I didn't know how in the hell I ran for that long, but I did. Ahead of me I could see the castle, its lights glowing brightly in the darkened sky. I wanted to keep running, but just as I put one foot forward to walk, I collapsed to the ground. I was huffing and puffing, and I desperately needed a drink. I needed to get to the castle…I needed to get to Caspian to warn him, but I was so tired…and hot…and thirsty. I looked back up at the moon, taking deep breaths, and thought it was odd when I saw three moons instead of one. That couldn't have been good, because not much later my eyes swirled to the back of my head and I passed out, right there on the forest's edge.

* * *

A guard rode along the edge of the wood, letting his eyes roam it for any sign of anything unusual. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, so he continued to ride. The moon hung high in the sky above, and it had been a very long day. The guard wondered when someone would come to relieve him from his post. Just as he was about to yawn, he saw something white glowing slightly in the moon's light. It looked to be a body. He tugged his horse's reins, urging him onward to check it out. As he neared, he could see it was indeed the body of a young woman. She was unusually pale, but had dark hair as most Telmarines did. Her attire was strange, though. He had never seen such strange clothing before. He swung from his saddle, walking to the body to get a better look. There were three red scratches across her face, and one cheek was badly bruised. The guard knew that wound. Only a Narnian could cause that sort of harm to a Telmarine. He growled, lifting the woman's body carefully and setting her over his saddle. He remounted quickly, heading in the direction of the castle as quickly as he could in hopes that he could help her.

The moment he rode through the iron gates of the castle, he shouted to some of the men standing there. When the men saw the limp form of the woman in his arms, they jumped from their seats to help.

"Theodorn, what happened to her?" one of the men asked, taking her from the guard's arms so he could jump from the saddle.

Theodorn took her back into his arms carefully, unsure if she had any other wounds, and started making his way as quickly as possible to the castle. "I found her at the edge of the woods. She was attacked."

The second man ran to catch up with them. "Attacked? By whom?"

Theodorn turned to face both the men, his face stern. "By Narnians."

Ten years ago, that would have been an outrageous statement to make, and anyone who heard it would have thrown back their heads in laughter. But now, it was no joke. The Narnians had once again been cheated by Telmar, and they wanted revenge.

"Eligio, see that my horse is returned to his stall. I must take her to be seen to at once," he said hurriedly, breaking into a run as he made his way to the castle, in hopes of getting help for the beaten woman.

The double doors of the throne room opened as he approached them, and he carried her to the center. Doctor Cornelius stood off to the side of the throne, reading an old tattered book that looked as if it had nearly seen the end of its days. When he heard the young man approach, he looked up. When he saw the woman in the guard's arms, he rushed to his side.

"What's happened?" he asked, inspecting her with his aged eyes.

"I found her lying near the edge of the woods. I believe she was attacked," he said, giving the old doctor a knowing look. Cornelius caught it and returned it. He gently turned the woman's face so that he could see it and gasped loudly when he saw her.

"By Aslan, she's returned!" The old man jumped back, clutching the front of his robes as he stared wide-eyed at the woman. The guard just looked down at her, confusion etched onto his features.

"I'm sorry, I don't follow," he said, looking back to the doctor.

"Never mind that, take her to the healer's wing," he said, resituating is spectacles on the bridge of his nose nervously. He watched as the man carried her out of the room, casting him confused glances over his shoulder as he went. He thought he heard him mumble something along the lines of, "old fart has lost his marbles…"

* * *

**Cornelius's POV**

She was back. Raine was actually back! Though, she looked as if she had taken quite a beating, she was back in Narnia. And that meant she could return to the king, and hopefully she could make things right. I was almost skipping as I trailed my way through the winding corridor's of the palace on my way to the king's chambers. He had to know. He needed to see her. Surely that would be enough to divert him from his tainted ways.

When I reached his door, I gave it a soft knock. To my surprise, the king actually answered the door. He looked…miserable. There were dark circles beneath his eyes and his skin was almost pale. His hair lacked its normal luster, and it looked like it hadn't been washed for days. Of course, that wouldn't be such an odd thing for an ordinary townsman. But for the king? Odd, indeed.

"Doctor, is something wrong?" He asked, his eyes widening slightly when he saw me. I guess I did look a little excited. I could tell I was breathing heavier than usual and I'm sure my face was a little flushed from the thrill of having our princess back…_or should I say queen_.

"Your Majesty! You must go to the healing wing at once…you won't believe what's happened," I said rapidly, almost chewing on my own tongue as I spoke. The king tilted his head as he looked at me. For the first time in years, his dark eyes held a spark of interest. For a moment, he looked like the curious, eager prince I once knew.

"Aaaalright," he said uncertainly, throwing a robe over his shoulders as he left the room, eyeing me oddly as he passed me by. When he shut his door behind him, he turned to look at me. "Shall we?"

I stood, dumbfounded. He was being _polite_. That was quite out of character for him. I began walking, leading the way to the healer's wing, where I knew Raine would be lying and waiting for treatment. I chuckled inside, wondering what the king's reaction would be when he first saw her.

* * *

Da da da daaaa! How do you think their reunion will be?

Oh, and it's a little early...but HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYBODY!!!!

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	7. Chapter 7

Back In His Arms

**Raine's POV**

I awoke to the feeling of a cool cloth being dabbed against my skin. When I opened my eyes there were two young maids on either side of me, one pouring a cup of water and the other patting my face with a damp cloth. I gently raised up, observing the room I was in. When I did, one of the maids handed me the cup of water, and I gulped it down gratefully.

"Thanks," I said, offering the young maid a light smile. She smiled back, patting my arm gently.

"There's no need to thank me, milady. We're just glad to see you've returned." I squinted my eyes at her, studying her face. I didn't remember her…but somehow she remembered me.

"Yes, now that you're back, this kingdom might just become what it's meant to be," the other maid said, finally looking up to meet my curious and now highly confused gaze. I started chewing on my lip in thought.

"Do I…do I know either of you?" I paused, shaking my head. "I mean…I apologize if I don't remember you…but…I can't place who either of you are."

The first maid smiled and took my empty cup, placing it on a stand beside my bed. "No worries, milady. You don't know us, but it would be a treason against our history not to know you." I tilted my head as I looked at her, wishing I could decode what she was telling me. But as I let her words roll over me, my skin began to tingle. I began to feel warm…and for some reason, safe…which was quite a relief after what I had gone through over the past twenty-four hours. My heart started beating slightly faster, and I looked down at my chest, pressing my hand over it as if to ask it what was happening. Out of the corner of my eyes I could see the two maids look up to the entrance of the room and slowly step away from the bed. I quickly looked up to the first maid, my eyes boring into hers in question as I held my hand over my heart, afraid that it would leap from my chest if it didn't slow down. She only looked back at me, smiled, and gave my hand a soft pat before backing up to stand against the wall. What the heck was going on? Why did I feel like any minute now I might explode? I quickly looked to the other maid, who had already taken her place at the wall behind me with her hands crossed in front of her. Then I heard a loud gasp.

My head snapped up in the direction of the gasp, and I almost screamed at the sight that met my eyes. Standing in the doorway, holding onto the door's frame for support, stood Caspian. _My_ Caspian. He stood there, his eyes wide in shock. Behind him stood Cornelius, and he smiled lovingly at me from over Caspian's shoulder, but I barely noticed because all I could see was the rekindling strength of the man I loved. I felt his brown eyes boring into mine, and my heart was pounding so furiously that I thought its force would throw me from the bed. So I did the only thing my mind could process. I slid off of the bed and ran, staggering as my legs were finding their strength, to Caspian. He seemed to have found his strength too, because he pushed himself away from the doorframe and met me halfway. The moment we met, I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him as close as possible. He took my face in both of his hands and held me there, his eyes scanning my face as if trying to convince himself that I was real. I looked back, abandoned by my words, just taking him in. My heart was beginning to return to its natural pace, now that I could feel his.

"Querida…is it r-really y-you?" he said weakly, the pitch of his voice raising with emotion. In his eyes I could see tears of lost hope and isolation threatening to fall, and I felt my heart breaking with my own guilt. If only I hadn't left.

A small tear rolled down his cheek and I caught it with the tip of my nose, nuzzling his cheek. "It is, my love. Caspian," I paused, taking a shaky breath, "oh, my love, I am back, and I will never leave you again." I found my lips were planting small kisses along his jaw as I stood on my tiptoes to reach. "I'm so sorry my love-,"

His lips captured mine, silencing my words. They brushed against mine hungrily, and I kissed back, returning the starved passion he was putting into the kiss. So many emotions flooded into my heart that I thought I would faint. I felt every ounce of pain and regret he had hurt through since I had been gone, and felt as if I would pass out. My legs gave out from under me, but Caspian held me so I wouldn't fall. He lifted me up and cradled me in his arms so my legs draped over one of his arms. We both pulled our lips away, gasping for air as he tilted his face down to touch his forehead to mine. "Don't say it. Don't."

"But I left you! After everything, I left you," I said with watery words. I looked at him, letting my fingers travel over his face as they remembered him. But as my eyes looked into his, I knew something in him had changed. Once his eyes would have been soft and gentle, but as they looked into mine they were hard as steel.

"Querida, please. Don't take the blame when we both know you had to go…there was no other choice."

I nodded gently against him, biting my lip. "Can you ever forgive me?"

He pressed his cheek against mine and nodded. A deep sigh brushed across my lips and I smiled. "I did that long ago." I pressed a soft kiss on his lips, still smiling. My fingers continued to explore his face, but they ran over something that shouldn't have been there. I pulled away, looking at his left cheek and his eye. A long white scar ran from the middle of his cheek and over his eye, coming to a point above his eyebrow. My breath hitched in my throat and I bit my lip again. Caspian saw the change in my expression and his brows furrowed in concern.

"What is it?" he asked.

I traced the scar with a shaky finger, frowning when he closed his eyes so I could trace over it. "What happened?" The question came out small and fragile.

"An opponent got far closer than he should have. Luckily no real harm was done," he said huskily, his face falling in shame. My lips pressed together in a firm line as I studied his face, and frowned slightly when I noticed the crinkles and worry lines around his eyes and mouth. I brushed my fingers over the worry lines beneath his eyes and brushed my lips over the lines around his mouth softly, sighing as I did.

"How long have I been gone?" I asked softly, tracing the worry lines.

Caspian set me lightly on my feet and caught my hands in his, stilling my traveling fingers. "Seven years."

I bit my lip, cringing as guilt flooded over me again. "You've aged…and it's all because of me." I looked away, not wanting him to see my tears.

"It isn't your fault, Raine. The first few years of trying to unite two feuding nations took a lot out of me, and it still is…my aging is not your fault." He took my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. But when I did, the barrier broke and my tears fell.

"Caspian, I never should've left you," I mumbled as I cried. I buried my face in his shoulder, desperately wishing that I could go back in time…and stay instead of walking through that damn portal.

I felt him lift me up and cradle me again, and I wrapped my arms around his neck. He started walking and I peeked over his shoulder to see we were walking down the corridor. After several turns and sets of steps, we reached what must have been his room. When we reached the large door, he set me on my feet to open it, and led me in. I walked in slowly, looking around the room as I dried my cheeks with my sleeve. Compared to the dank hallway we had just been in, his room was far more pleasant. A white canopy hung over his bed, which was covered with a deep red comforter. On the walls were several tapestries. One in particular caught my eye and I walked over to check it out.

"A few of the artisans felt our friends needed to be remembered after all they had done. I keep them in here because if they were to be nailed on the walls in the corridors they would be destroyed. Not many Telmarine people are fond of Narnians yet," Caspian explained, taking his place beside me as I studied one of the tapestries. One tapestry was a picture of Peter dueling against Lord Miraz. I reached out a hand to touch the tapestry…the image looked so real that I was sure Lord Miraz would jump out and capture me. Another tapestry depicted the gathering of the Narnians on the Dancing Lawn the night that Caspian and I spoke to them. When I saw mine and Caspian's forms in the drawing, I smiled at how our hands were intertwined. I sighed, and Caspian snaked his arm around my waist, pulling me into him.

"They look so real. Those artisans did really well," I said, running my finger along the edge of the fabric.

Caspian began leading me to the wall behind us. "Ah, yes, but you haven't seen my favorite yet." He turned me around and when my eyes landed on the tapestry facing his bed, I gasped. It was a picture of me. I was in my battle stance, standing in a clearing with my bow ready. I was wearing the exact suit of mail that I wore the day of the battle. Behind me was a fallen Telmarine, and his horse was galloping away into the woods unscathed. When I saw the expression on my face, I reached out to touch it.

"I look so…lethal," I said, tracing the arch of the bow in my hands. But as my eyes followed the arch of the bow, they were once again drawn to my eyes. Whoever weaved this tapestry had truly captured my eyes. They were so deep blue that I thought I might be entranced. The look on my face was nothing short of steel determination and anger.

Caspian laughed lightly, wrapping his arms around me from behind and resting his chin on my shoulder. "You were lethal, my love_. Highly_ lethal. In fact, this tapestry was ordered by one of the Telmarine men who survived your fury. He had been riding after the group of riders you killed to protect Susan and Lucy, and when he saw you slay the men before him, he rode back to the battle to report the men lost. He had been so frightened, yet impressed, with your strength and valor, that he had this tapestry made in honor and in memory of you."

I turned in his arms, pulling myself closer against him. "In memory?"

At this, the king looked down at his feet. "None of us knew if you would ever return."

"But..you knew I would come back, right?" I asked gently, tilting his chin so that he would look at me. When his eyes met mine, they were teary. "Caspian…_didn't _you?"

He sighed deeply. "My love, I hoped and prayed that you would come back to me. I hoped and prayed for three years…and you never came back. I was starting to fear that so much time had passed in your world, that you might have…" his voice broke and he shook his head, burying his face in my hair. I felt him silently sobbing against me and held him to me. My heart felt like it was cracking again. I put him through so much pain…how could I fix it? How could I mend what I had done?

I massaged his scalp with my fingertips, running them through his hair as I did. I pressed my lips to his neck and kept them there, feeling his pulse lightly beat beneath the soft skin there. "I'm so sorry, my love. I don't know what I can ever do to make this right."

He slowly looked up at me, sniffling. "Raine, dearly beloved, you already have. You came back to me." Then he smiled at me, and I knew everything would be okay. "But I have to know…how did you get back?" His brown eyes were shining with his curiosity. And then I remembered. A chill ran up my spine. He must have felt the change in me because he led me to his bed and sat me down.

"Querida, what is it?" He sat on the edge of the bed and turned to face me, taking both of my hands in his. I looked at him, wondering how I could tell him.

"Caspian, I didn't come back."

His brows furrowed and he tilted his head. A dark brown tendril of hair fell across his face and I smiled despite my dilemma as I took it and tucked it behind his ear. "Of course you did. You're here, and I couldn't be happier."

I scooted closer so that I was almost in his lap. "That's not what I meant…I…I think I was kidnapped."

His eyes narrowed in thought. "What do you mean _kidnapped_?"

I looked at him, squeezing his hands to assure myself I was really there beside him. "I mean that about a day ago I was in my home, and out of nowhere someone came up behind me and put some kind of cloth over my head and bound me…and then I woke up in a dark cave."

"You were captured," he said, his eyes darkening as he turned to look at the wall across from us. "Do you know who did it?"

I bit my lip, wondering how much abuse it could take. I had been giving my poor lip hell. "I don't know who captured me, but I know who was involved." I watched as he turned to look back at me, his dark eyes boring into mine in question.

"Who?"

I hesitated, wondering how he would react when I told him Narnians had been at the hand of it. "Narnians." I squinted my eyes shut, not wanting to believe that the Narnians had turned against us again. "_Our _Narnians."

He looked at me unsurprised, but his eyes hardened. He pulled me against him, breathing against my shoulder. "It is as I feared, then. They have made an enemy of me again."

"Caspian, there's more you should know," I said, pausing. He pulled away so that our faces were inches apart, looking at me to continue. "Their leader was a centaur…a woman. She told me that they wanted to use me to kill you."

The king seemed to freeze, and I could feel heat radiating from him. "Did they tell you how they wanted you to do this?"

I nodded slowly. "They wanted me to break into the castle, get you on my side again, and kill you. But when I realized what they wanted of me, I ran. I luckily got out before they could catch me…there's no telling what they would have done if they had." I shivered, setting my chin on his shoulder as I nuzzled into his hair. "Caspian, I don't understand…why do they want you dead? I thought…"

"Raine, there are some things you should know as well," he interrupted me, whispering into my ear. I nodded for him to go on. He tightened his arms around me before taking a deep breath. "When you left, I meant to unite the people of Telmar with the Narnians, but it didn't work. Many of the Telmarines who stayed in Narnia refused to cooperate and attacked Narnians when no one was looking. It ended up starting another war."

I nodded slowly, taking it all in. "Okay, but I still don't understand why they want you dead."

He squinted his eyes shut before continuing. "I haven't been a very good ruler, Querida. I changed after you left. I became…I became a savage man," he said quietly, gritting his teeth in his shame. I looked at him, swallowing hard.

"It's all my fault. Every last bit of it," I said, turning away from him to hide the guilt I knew that was showing on my face. "If I had just stayed, none of this would have happened."

"But you are here now, Querida, and that is all that matters," he said, wrapping his arms around me from behind and planting a sideways kiss on my cheek.

"Caspian?" I asked meekly, taking a few breaths as I contemplated.

"Hmm?"

"We've got to fix this. And by Aslan, I'm going to find a way."

Caspian exhaled against my cheek and I felt his lips form a proud smile. "There's my girl."

* * *

At the mouth of a dark cave, a centaur peered out at the moon bathed forest. She stood tall in the darkness, her dark skin shining in the moonlight. A whispering breeze hissed through the trees, ruffling her mane as it sailed. She looked into the depths of the woods around her, not really seeing anything but her thoughts. In her hand she squeezed a beaded necklace against her breast. She pulled it away to look at it, her eyes welling up with tears of longing and lament. But as her eyes scanned over the turquoise and ebony beads, a voice called forth from behind her.

"We should send Phaedra and Duskenblaze after her, you know. We must get to her before one of her followers does…or else our plan won't work," one of the dwarves said as he took his place beside her. Slowly she looked down at him, her amber eyes staring through him.

"Nay, Kendrick, not yet. She has made it to the castle by now, and is more than likely crying in her precious king's arms. 'Tis only a matter of time before their bond is rekindled, and then all we have to do is strike. Our plan is as good as made, friend," she smirked smugly, returning her unseeing gaze to the woods.

The dwarf craned his neck to see her, arching a brow in wonder. "Strike? I thought it was up to her to-,"

She stuck a hand up, silencing him. "Do you honestly believe she would kill the man who holds her heart? Do not be so thick, friend. She will not do it alone."

"Then what do you reckon will happen, Willowcrye?" the dwarf asked curiously.

This time the centaur looked directly at the dark dwarf, her lips forming a tight smile over her pristine teeth. "The king will meet his end, friend. And Raine will deal it. All we have to do is a little…_persuading_." With the last word her voice seemed to deepen, and it rang through the walls of the cave behind them. The dwarf seemed to tremble and his eyes widened at the realization of what she was planning.

"May Aslan help us all," he said shakily, clasping his hands together as he trembled.

"Ha!" The centaur guffawed sadistically, snorting into the crisp night air. "It shall require more than the simple help of Aslan when we are finished with them."

The dwarf's head snapped back in her direction. "Them?"

She looked back at him, grinning. "Ah yes, my friend. We cannot destroy the king and spare the queen. That simply would not do." And with that the dwarf nodded, shaking as he realized what he had committed himself to.

* * *

Muahahahaha....

Review, mis amigos queridos...

(...my beloved friends^^^)

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	8. Chapter 8

Stepping Into That Fairy Tale World

**Kate's POV**

This house was just too damn quiet. I got home about five hours ago, and when I saw the mess I knew something was wrong. My first instinct was to get the shotgun from the coat closet, but it wasn't there. I didn't find it until I searched the house to see the rest of the rooms were in just as much disarray. The gun was on the floor of Raine's bedroom.

That was the only indicator I needed before calling the police. They came out, searched the property, and made a report from the breaking in and of course, of Raine being missing. As soon as they left, I called Audra. She had been laying out at the beach when she answered.

"Hey girl! What's happenin'?" She asked, the faintest hint of a bright smile seeping through her words.

The panic laced through mine quickly dampened her spirits. "Audra, the house got broken into."

"Oh my God! Are you serious?" She paused to tell Bud what had happened, then returned. "Was anything taken?"

I held the phone in both hands to keep from dropping it because I was shaking. "Not that I can tell, but Raine's missing. I don't know if she was here when it happened, but I found the shotgun on the floor in her room…I think she was taken by whoever broke in."

There were a few seconds of nothing but Audra's breathing on the line. "You're sure?...You don't think she might have gone out and just hasn't gotten back yet?"

"The last I talked to her was around seven and she was going to the store to pick up stuff to make dinner with. She wouldn't have stayed out long after that."

There was the sound of ruffling on the other end of the line, and then Bud spoke. "Kate, you're sure about this?"

"I wouldn't joke about this, Bud."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Okay," he paused, and I heard the sound of lounging chairs being folded. "We're gonna catch the first flight back tomorrow."

That instantly made me feel bad. "You only have a few days left of your trip…don't cut it short. I'm sure Raine will turn up-,"

"No," he interrupted me. "If Raine is in trouble, we're coming back as soon as we can. We have to find her."

That was the last I had heard of either of them, except for the text message I had received from Audra saying they would be flying back into town at noon tomorrow. And now I sat here, alone in the living room, hearing nothing but the sound of my own nervous breathing. This house had _never_ been this quiet…

I had already called Kassandra. And of course, the poor thing was about to have a stroke when I told her we couldn't find Raine. Bless her heart, she'd already lost her daughter once…only the first time we knew where she was…sort of. Now she could be _anywhere_, and we had no idea where to even start looking.

All I knew was that we had to find her. I would hate to think about what could have happened…I only hoped it wasn't Dalton who was responsible for this.

* * *

I had settled with taking a nap on the sofa in my restlessness…or at least attempting. When I heard the sound of a key twisting in the door's lock, I flew to a leaning upwards position and looked at the door. It flew open, and in stormed Audra, with Bud behind her. She threw herself on me, bombarding me with questions.

"Any word about Raine? How long has she been gone? Does Kassandra know? Poor thing, she's probably worried sick…" Her arms were curled around my neck tightly and it was getting a little difficult to breathe, but I just patted her back. Bud raised his eyebrows.

"Hon, I think you're smothering her," he said gently, prying her arms off of me. When he managed to pull her away, they both took a seat beside me on the sofa.

"I haven't heard anything…but I'm to the point of going out and searching myself," I said, standing up and grabbing the coat I had sitting on the table. Audra watched me from where she was huddled in Bud's arms, but jumped up with a bright face of determination.

"Well if you're goin', I'm goin' too!"

Bud stood up, scratching the back of his head. "Are you sure about this? Where are you even going to start?"

I buttoned the last button on my coat before looking up at him. "I don't know…I guess the smartest place to start looking is around the property."

"Kate, I seriously doubt she's anywhere near the house," Bud said, taking his place beside Audra and putting an arm around her shoulder. "If the asshole that broke into the house is the one who took off with'er, she's probably not even in the same county!"

That possibility had definitely surfaced my mind in the midst of my jumbled thoughts, but I didn't want to think of it. "True, but let's say she isn't with the intruder. Let's say she escaped from the house when she realized someone was in there. Let's say she's hiding in the woods somewhere!" I said, rushing into Raine's room. If we were going out to look for her, we needed protection….and more than one weapon. I knew a place were Raine kept a pair of identical short swords. I had seen her practicing with them before and figured it was something she had picked up while in her fantasy world. I had no idea how to use them, but I could improvise if it meant protecting us.

Bud didn't seem to have anything to say after that, and he and Audra stood silently in Raine's doorway as they watched me take out the knives from Raine's dresser. "That possibility is the one I'm going to hope for, and that's why I'm going out there to look for her," I said as I wrapped the worn leather belt around my waist, securing the two knives to my body.

"What in the hell are those?" Bud asked, his eyes widening as he saw them.

"…just some hobby that Raine picked up over the last several years," Audra asked, patting his arm where it rested on her stomach. Then she gave Kate a strange look. "What are you doing with them? You're not actually planning to _use _them are you?"

I passed between them as I walked through the door, tucking a flashlight in my coat pocket. "Well, if we're all going out to look for her, one weapon won't be enough if for some reason we have to defend ourselves."

"…I take that as a yes," Audra said, biting her thumb in dread. By the time her and Bud came scampering down the hallway after me, I was already walking out the back door. With a shrill, "Hold up, woman! We're coming too!" Audra led Bud out the door after me.

As soon as I stepped foot outside, I knew something was off. How had I not felt it before? Audra and Bud stopped behind me, looking at each other in confusion. Audra stepped beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What is it?"

I didn't look at her, but looked around. "You don't feel that?"

A blank look passed over Audra's face as she looked back at me. "Feel what?"

At that moment, a surge of what felt like static electricity hit me full on in the face. Tingles zapped down my limbs and for a moment I felt like a live wire. In my peripheral vision Bud and Audra both straightened, feeling the static as well. I closed my eyes, recounting the stories Raine had told me about going to…Narnel…Narnia…_whatever _the hell it was called. She said that when she left to come back, she walked through a magical portal that made her feel static everywhere.

A _portal_…

"We've gotta find it," I said out loud, turning and walking in the direction of the static. Audra and Bud shared confused glances before hurrying after her.

"Gotta find _what_? What the _hell _are you talking about?" Bud shouted as he raced after me. By now I was running. All that was around me were trees…but I felt like I was being drawn to something magnetic. And then I saw the weirdest tree ever. It was lodged between two cedar trees, and its trunk was split in two. The split trunks seemed to form an archway…and it was beckoning to me.

"That's gotta be the most deformed tree I've ever seen," Bud said, stepping closer to it with an outstretched hand. Something in my mind screamed, and I remembered that once you touched or went through the portal you would be transported. I wasn't quite sure, but this tree sure felt like a portal. All I could think to do was grab Audra's hand and hook my arm through Bud's.

The second he stroked the gnarled bark, we were drawn to its center, and pulled through. The minute we came out on the other side, I couldn't believe my eyes. We definitely weren't in Texas anymore. I could see trees that I had never seen before. There were blooms and blossoms of colors I never could have imagined. In a small shrub not far from where Bud was standing, scratching his head, a large bird resembling a falcon was perched. I first thought it to be a falcon, but after seeing that its feathers were indigo and silver I knew it wasn't. I was torn from my awe when Audra gasped loudly from beside me.

"Awesome bird! I've never seen one of those before," she said, taking a few steps forward. The bird tilted its head at her and flapped its wings, flying away before she could try to touch it. Before she could get too close, I grabbed her upper arm and pulled her back to my side.

"…that's because they don't have those back home."

At that she looked at me with slanted brows as if I had grown an extra head. "What are you talking about? We ARE home. We're in the woods behind the house." Bud placed a hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention. The look on his face (which made me think he was explaining something complex to a toddler) almost got me to die laughing and I had to bite my bottom lip to keep from slipping.

"Hon, we're not home anymore. Look at the trees…and the plants…and that bird. We're not in the same environment."

Audra looked puzzled. "Wha?? All we did was walk under a tree!"

"…yes, and that, my friends, was a grave mistake," an aged feminine voice called from the right. They all jumped around to see a middle-aged woman clad in a flowing green cloak. She had vivid red hair laced with gray that was pulled in a thong to her left shoulder, and age wrinkles lined her face. She stood with a staff in her hands, and at her side hung a long sword. I was a little mesmerized at her appearance, but knowing we were probably in Narnel…Narnia…_whatever_ the hell it was called, I tried to tone done my surprise. I could see that, at the sight of her weapon at her waist, my friends were a little shocked.

Bud took Audra's hand in his and stood in front of us protectively, even though he was only guarding us from another woman. "A mistake?"

She looked at him with a blank expression before looking to each of us in curiosity. "Do you know where you are?"

Audra huffed and crossed her arms beside me, giving me a breathless look. "Well I _thought_ I was in my backyard about a minute ago…"

Slowly the woman stepped closer to us, holding up her hands to let us know she was no threat. "You're far from home, my dear. You're in Narnia, in the realm of Telmar, the kingdom if His Majesty, King Caspian."

When she said Narnia, my mind began to swirl with all the stories Raine had told me from her stay here. But when I heard the king's name, my ears perked up. I shook my head, closing my eyes briefly. "I'm sorry," I said as I placed a hand at my temple as if it would organize my thoughts, "Did you say King Caspian?"

The woman narrowed her eyes as she looked back at me. When she did that I could see how fiercely green they were…it was crazy. I had to admit that I was a bit jealous. My eyes were more of an avocado green. She was now standing two feet in front of me. "You know of the king?" She asked suspiciously, eyeing me up and down and slowly placing a hand on the hilt of her sword. Then she looked over Audra and Ben, inspecting them from head to toe. "Who are you? It's clear that you're not from around here…how do you know of the king?"

At this point both of my friends were looking at me with wide eyes. "Yea, _how do_ you know of him?" Audra asked.

Shit. Open mouth, insert foot. I looked at both of my friends anxiously, knowing that they would want to know how I knew about this place…but it wasn't my place to tell them. Raine should be the one to tell them, it was her adventure…it was her story. However, when I looked back up to the woman who was native to this land, I knew she wanted an answer. So, I took a deep breath and began to spill.

"You're going to think I'm nuts, but my cousin once came to this land…and she knew your king. Actually, I think she was friends with a bunch of your kings and queens or whatever…" I paused as the woman's brows rose. "She told me she fought in a battle and helped save Narnia…and she told me all about her time here when she went back home. So that's how I know about your king."

For a moment I forgot that Audra and Bud were beside me, because all I saw was the look of recognition in the woman's emerald eyes. Her eyes shifted from me to the others before speaking almost timidly. "You…you know the Lady Raine, then?"

Audra seemed to choke on her own spit for a split second and Bud rubbed her back as he stared open mouthed at the woman. "Hold on a second, I'm sorry…but," he said as he cleared his throat, "did you just say _Lady_ Raine?"

The woman stood taller and lifted her chin, staring defiantly at Bud. Her defensive stance was a little intimidating, especially when I saw her grip tighten around her sword's hilt. "She is a great woman of our history, and an important woman to this kingdom. It's unwise of you to ridicule her memory."

This time I had to speak up. "Hold up, we're not insulting her memory…it's just, we've known this girl pretty much all of our lives. It's just a little odd to hear her addressed so formally."

This changed the woman's tune. "You are her friends, then. Ah," she removed her hand from her sword and lifted it over her heart. "I was also a friend of Raine. I am Adeline."

Since she had been friends with Raine while she had been here, then she had to be decent. I think a little introduction would have been sufficient. "I'm Kate."

Bud snaked an arm around Audra before speaking for the both of them. "Yea, and I'm Bud. And this is my wife, Audra."

Audra smiled nervously back at the woman and stuck out a hand to shake. "It's nice to meet someone who knows Raine…maybe you know where she is?" she asked more than stated.

"Where she is…you don't mean to say she is missing…" Adeline said cautiously, narrowing her eyes.

"Well, she went missing last night, and I have reason to believe she may have been brought back here," I said, taking over where the others couldn't continue. At this the woman fell silent, looking down at her feet in contemplation.

"If she is here…" her voice faded off. "By Aslan, she's returned! Oh, His Majesty will be so glad! Maybe she can mend his broken heart! Oh!" She exclaimed excitedly, her olive face lighting up with her smile.

I couldn't help but to smile right along with her, knowing that finding the king would be the best thing that could happen to Raine. "Yea, and maybe he can mend hers, too. The girl's been in a deep depression since she returned to us six years ago. She was so convinced that she would never see him again…."

"That's why she's been so depressed?" Audra said, a bit of hurt evident in her voice. "How come I didn't know about any of this?"

I put a gentle hand on Audra's shoulder. "She was afraid no one would believe her…I was the only one she felt would be crazy enough to buy it."

"Well, considering you have no place to go…and night will soon be upon us, please allow me to give you a place to rest for the eve," Adeline said kindly, holding her hands out in offering. "I would hate to leave you wandering about…I know how different Narnia is from Earth."

"Wait…how do you know…."

Adeline grinned at me before replying, "Oh, that is a story that will have to wait for another time." And with that, we followed her deeper into the woods, in hopes that soon we would find Raine…and maybe meet this king she had fallen so deeply in love with.

* * *

A/N

Sorry it's been so long since I last updated. School's been pretty crazy. So...what do you think?

~Rhythmic5


	9. Chapter 9

A/N

Alright, I'm back! I'm sorry it's been so long...it's just that I've been really busy. I also have kinda been stuck at a dead end in my writing. I just have so many ideas for the story, but I can't decide how to make things flow. Bare with me, I'll get it right. I promise. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!

* * *

When The Fire Still Burns

**Raine's POV**

Caspian slowly pulled away from me, tracing my bruised cheekbone with a long finger. I smiled lightly, and then yawned, remembering how tired I was. Caspian smiled back, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. "It's late, my love. We should retire, especially after your little…adventure."

I nodded, yawning again. "Where do I sleep? I'm sure you emptied my room after I left, didn't you?"

Once again, the king looked down at his feet with moist eyes. "It was emptied, but it matters little. You can sleep somewhere else." I took a step forward, knowing he would lead me to a room down the hall, but he halted me by taking my upper arm gently. "Where are you going, Querida?"

I blinked at him. "Aren't you going to show me my new room?"

His eyes darkened beneath his brows and they seemed to bore into mine. The expression on his face was giving me goosebumps. "You're looking at it." I'm pretty sure I forgot how to breathe.

"C-Caspian," I stuttered, slowly reaching up to tuck a piece of his hair behind his ear. "I couldn't…possibly-," I paused, looking down at my feet and pressing my lips together.

"It's not as if we haven't shared the same bed before," he replied almost shyly, running his fingers through my hair to ease my discomfort.

"Yea, well, that was a different thing entirely. We weren't…you know…_in love_."

Slowly my face was being tilted up to his. "Are you sure about that?" His chocolate eyes were glittering and I was reminded of the playful, loving prince he used to be. I looked back at him, biting my lip.

"Actually, I'm not really sure. _Were _we? I thought that was during what they call the 'puppy love' stage." This I said with a small grin.

Caspian tilted his head in thought and pulled me closer to him, rubbing my spine. "Puppy love it may have been, but I knew it would be you even then." When he said this he leaned his forehead down to rest against mine. The last part came out so soft that I almost heard the tenderness he once showed me.

"You knew….it would be me?...I don't understand." I looked at him, hoping he would explain what he'd meant. What did he know I would be? I couldn't help but to remember the day we were walking back to the how after raiding the Telmarine camp, when he picked up Neron. He had been so good with the little boy, and I couldn't help picturing him holding our own child…but I reminded myself that we may never get to that point. I didn't even know if we had been that serious back then. Did Caspian mean…

I was hoping he would give me an explanation to still my thoughts, but he didn't. Instead he gave me a soft kiss on the lips. "It doesn't matter…I am rambling. It is late, Querida." He smiled softly at me before saying, "Come to bed with me?"

I yawned again. There wasn't any real harm in sleeping in the same bed, was there? Like he'd said, we _had_ done it before. Besides, I trusted Caspian. He wouldn't try anything, that was the least of my worries. I nodded, smiling. "Okay." He gave me another soft kiss before turning and walking into what must have been his bathroom. He came out wearing silk pants with a robe on, which I assumed was his nightwear.

"Hmm…let's see what you can wear to sleep in," he said as he went to his wardrobe and began digging through it. He pulled out a tunic with a pair of really long pants and handed them to me. "Here, this should be comfortable enough. You may change in there," he said as he pointed to the bathroom. I went in and changed, and when I came back out, he was sitting on the edge of his bed waiting. I walked up to him and sat beside him, brushing his hair out of his face, which had a fallen look upon it.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. He looked back at me, taking my hand and holding it. He placed a small kiss on it before taking a deep breath.

"I am. It's just that I have missed you." His voice was small and fragile, and I knew how much he was hurting.

I took him in my arms and cradled him. "I've missed you too. So much." I could feel him bury his face in my hair, and he took a few steadying breaths.

"You can rest now, my love. I'm here, and nothing can take me away." I told him as I held him close, but then slowly laid him down on the bed, knowing we were both spent from the day's events. He sighed when his head touched the pillow, but he rolled over and sat back up.

"I'm sorry, but I can't sleep in this. Will it bother you?" he said as he gestured to his robe.

I nodded, swatting my hand in the air. "Nah. You do whatever makes you comfortable."

This is an instance in which being easy going bit me in the ass. The moment he took off the robe, I felt my eyes nearly pop out of their sockets. The most skin I had seen of Caspian was the small bit of his chest that would show through the neck of his tunic…seven years ago. From where I was sitting all I could see was his back, but just seeing that was almost too much to handle. Thank God he was wearing pants! I sat there for a while, trying my best to recover. When he rolled back over and laid back down, he looked up at me. I looked down at him, and my eyes roved over his chest. I think I almost drooled a little.

He must have seen my shock because he grinned a little. "Aren't you going to lie down?"

"Yea…y-y-yea." I slowly laid down beside him and turned my back to him so that I wouldn't have to see his lean, muscular body. Sleeping was going to be a pretty difficult task.

"Querida?" He whispered softly in my ear and I had to bite my lip when I felt him up against my back. I could feel his muscular chest through the tunic I was wearing…and oh my GOD. This just wasn't fair.

"Caspian?" I whispered back.

He scooted closer against me, wrapping his arms around my waist and nuzzling his face in my hair. "Can we cuddle?" He asked sweetly and almost shyly. That seemed to do the trick. All my nervousness and awkwardness melted away and I turned to bury myself in his arms. I thought it would have been awkward…but it wasn't. As soon as I rested my head against his bare chest, something just felt right. He nuzzled his face in between my shoulder and my neck and sighed, and I felt myself melt. He started rubbing my back soothingly, knowing that this whole thing was a little hard for me. In return, I did the same for him.

I guess I expected his body to be perfect and unscathed. I guess I thought that over the past seven years nothing could have touched him. So when my fingers slid over something unexpected, I gasped and pulled away from him. He pulled back and searched my eyes with his own. "What's wrong?"

I trailed my finger along the scar I felt on his back, and I felt my brows furrowing. "What's this?" Without giving it a second thought, I sat up and leaned over him to look at it.

"It's a scar, love," he said nonchalantly.

"I can see that…what happened?" I saw that the scar wrapped around his torso and ended below the line of his trousers, and I felt concern bubbling up in my stomach. He knew I was worrying and caught my hand, lifting it to rest over his heart.

"It was only a battle. But it was fine…nothing was damaged permanently." The calm look in his eyes stilled my panicking heart, but I couldn't help the inspection my eyes were performing of the rest of his exposed body. There was another scar almost level with that one on his other side. Once again, I found myself chewing on my lip. Caspian must have known I wasn't done searching him for scars, because he leaned up and captured me in his arms and pulled me down on top of him. I found myself nose to nose with him, and I closed my eyes to calm myself. It wasn't the fact that he was half naked at this point…it was just my incessant worrying. "Querida, breathe. I am fine now, you don't need to worry."

He started rubbing circles into my back to calm me, and it worked. I slid to his side and snuggled into him, relishing in the feel of his warm skin. I was beginning to slip away into sleep when I felt his lips press against my forehead as he murmured, "I love you." Subconsciously I snuggled closer to him, tucking my head in between his and his shoulder.

* * *

The next morning I woke up to feel an empty place where Caspian should have been. I had to remind myself that he was a king now and with that title came responsibility. I sat up and squinted through the yellow sunlight that was shining into the room and tried to spot my clothes. I remembered setting them on the floor beside the bed, but they weren't there. I got up, shuffling around the room in search of my clothes when the bedroom door creaked open. Looking up, I saw Caspian standing in the doorway with a sheepish grin on his face.

I scratched my head. "I probably just had that classic 'deer caught in headlights' look on my face, didn't I?"

He chuckled, scooping me up in his arms to place a soft kiss on my lips. "I have no idea what that means…there you go with your odd sayings." He nuzzled my cheek with his nose as he laughed lightly. "Who do you think would walk into these chambers other than me?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "It could have been a servant."

"If that had been the case, you would have no reason to worry. Most of the servants in this wing of the castle are women. Now what were you scurrying around for?"

I leaned out of his embrace to look around for my clothes again. "I can't find my clothes. I could've sworn they were beside the bed last night, but now they're gone." I heard a snicker and looked back at Caspian to see an impish grin on his lips.

"That would be because I took them." I narrowed my eyes at him and tried to keep a straight face, but it wasn't working out. At this, the king bit his lip to keep from cracking another grin.

"You little-," I almost said, but I was interrupted.

"Uh uh! Don't even say it," he said, cupping his hand over my mouth and trying to look stern. The mirthful twinkle in his eyes gave him away though.

I pulled away and crossed my arms. "Hmph. Well, if you took off with my clothes, then, what the heck am I supposed to wear?"

He held me away at arm's length, scanning me from head to toe as he thought. "Hmm…why don't you go look in the wardrobe," he eyed me knowingly. "There might just be something waiting in there for you." I looked at him suspiciously.

"Is it a pony?" I asked in a mock little girl's voice.

Caspian snorted. "Oh yes, you know it."

I turned with a snort and walked over to the wardrobe. When I opened it, I saw mostly Caspian's clothing, but then I saw something turquoise that looked too much like a dress. Pulling it out, I could see that it was indeed a dress. Once long ago I would have scoffed at the idea of wearing one…

I held it up in inspection and looked up at Caspian. "Turquoise, eh? What happened to blue? You used to love seeing me in blue."

At this he looked down at his feet shyly. "You're right, I did. But, when I saw this dress in my mother's old wardrobe I thought it would look stunning on you. Why don't you try it on," he tip toed across the room to stand in front of me, running the soft fabric of the dress between his fingers. Our eyes met for a moment.

"I feel bad for wearing your mother's dresses, Caspian ."

His eyes softened and he leaned forward to kiss my nose. "Don't. I'm sure if she were here today she wouldn't have minded." When he saw the lingering look of shame in my eyes he replied, "We will have some dresses of your own fashioned soon. I promise." When he said that, I smiled and kissed his chin (on tiptoes) and skipped to the bathroom to change. When I came back out, Caspian turned from the tapestry he was looking at.

I stood in the doorway of the bathroom, fingering the gauzy fabric that flowed over the skirt of my dress. When I looked up, Caspian was on his knees where he had been standing only minutes before when I left. The look on his face made my stomach do a somersault. I tried to not make it so obvious as I leaned against the doorframe for support, but I was feeling a little weak in the knees. From where I was standing across the room from him, I could see the stars in his eyes. I could also hear the marathon his heart was racing. I wanted to go over to him, but I wasn't sure my legs would support me so I stayed right where I was: leaning against the doorframe with one arm wrapped around it and one propping myself up.

After what must have been quite a struggle, Caspian spoke. His voice came out strained and breathy. "My love, words cannot describe the feelings you're making me feel at this very moment." He slowly started crawling to me on his knees, his eyes never leaving mine. "I thought I loved you before, cariña. But what I felt before seems like dew drops to what I feel now." Watching him crawl towards me sent chills down my spine and something began to bubble within me. The look in his eyes was the most intense, yet gentle I had ever seen, and it was becoming a task just to remember to breathe. Finally he was on his knees before me, looking up at me as if he had just seen the sun for the first time.

"My love, please stand," I said weakly, feeling odd that the king was kneeling to me…even if that king was the love of my life.

He only shook his head once, still not removing his gaze from mine. "I cannot. I don't think I have the strength. You've rendered me powerless with your paralyzing beauty." I felt light pink flooding into my cheeks and slowly sunk to my knees in front of him. Now we were almost face to face, and I looked up into his chocolate eyes. They still bore into mine and I could now feel the love and warmth radiating from him. I felt like I was falling in love with him all over again. From the way his eyes danced only for me, and the way his face would glow when he smiled…the way he stood over me as if shielding me from the harsh world around us…I was definitely falling for him again. I slowly reached up to rake my fingers through his hair and his eyes slowly fell closed as he inhaled. I raked both hands slowly down his hair until they rested on his chest. Of its own accord, one of my hands cupped his right cheek. He opened his eyes slowly and nailed me to my place with their piercing gaze. Once again I had to remind myself how to breathe.

After taking a few steadying breaths, I managed to find my voice again. "You waited for me."

His left arm curled around me and pulled me closer so that I rested against his chest. His other hand cupped my cheek and he leaned down so that our faces were only inches apart. "I would have waited until the end of my days, my queen, if only I could see you after my life has ended."

I couldn't help the tears that slowly escaped my eyes. Never had I felt more complete than I did right now…right here. Having Caspian in my arms was the only thing I could ever want…all I could ever dream of, because we could never be closer than that. Our paths of life would see to that. As long as he ruled as King over Narnia, we couldn't be. "Why do you call me that?" I asked softly, searching his eyes for truth.

He looked back at me, and slowly brushed away my tears before placing a kiss on each of their trails. "Because I could never imagine giving that name to anyone else."

More tears fell. "But we both know I can never be that woman…"

A long slender finger halted my words upon my lips. His lips were pressing against my tear-stained cheeks once again. He cradled my face in both his hands, and his eyes looked as if he was staring into my soul. "You can be, my love. I know you can. And so do the Narnians you led. Do you not remember how they called you their queen?"

I bit my lip to keep from sobbing while looking down at his chest to avoid his eyes. "Yes, but, let's be realistic Caspian. I cannot be your queen. Your people would never accept me as your queen."

As soon as the last word left my lips, his lips claimed them. My arms wrapped around his neck and his hands began tracing my sides, and I lost the little strength I still had. I slowly leaned backwards to lay on the floor to keep from falling. The next thing I knew was that Caspian was on top of me. He was actually leaning over me so as to not force his entire weight on me, but it was enough. He pulled his lips away from mine long enough to murmur, "Since when has that ever stopped me before." Our lips crashed again, and this time I found my hands retreating beneath the hem of his tunic. When my fingers brushed against the bare skin of his stomach, he breathed in a gasp. Our lips broke away for a split second as we looked at each other, and I saw a familiar fire lighting in his eyes…only this time it wouldn't be easily put out. I traced a finger down his jawline as I watched it blaze. And then, before I knew it, I was being lifted and set on the bed, with Caspian laying himself on top of me. This time his full weight settled against me, and I thought that my heart would burst at any moment.

* * *

A/N

What a tease...I know. It got a little spicy though, didn't it? Please review and let me know what you think! And if you've got any kickass ideas that you would like to suggest, I'm open to them. I'm still trying to decide where I want to go with this story.

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	10. Chapter 10

The Best of Both Worlds

**Kate's POV**

When we finally reached Adeline's home, we found that she lived in a humble cottage in the forest. It definitely looked like something from a storybook. It was wooden, with a door and two windows on either side of the front. A few wild vines with violet blooms trailed up the house's sides. We approached her home just before nightfall. When we did, a tall boy with sandy hair ran out to greet us. At seeing us behind Adeline, he went rigid and spoke.

"Who are our guests, mother?" The boy asked as his green eyes scanned us over.

Adeline leapt forward and gave the boy a tight hug, sweeping some of his hair out of his face. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. They're friends of Raine." At the mention of our friend, the boy's eyes grew wide.

"Really now," he said, before looking up at us. "You know Raine?" I nodded, seeing evidence that this boy had been close to her when she was here.

Adeline took him by the arm and hooked it with hers before leading him inside. "Come, Neron. It's late and our guests are probably feeling a little overwhelmed with all that they've been through this day. Please," she motioned to us over her shoulder, "come inside. I'll find places for you to sleep."

After laying out some blankets in front of a warm fire, Adeline began to tell us how she had come to know Raine and how she knew so much of Earth. We were all shocked to find out that she had been friends with Faith growing up and that the same thing had happened to her that almost happened to Raine while in midst of Faith's dad. I didn't disbelieve it… I just realized that it _was_ a small world. Eventually she left us to put her youngest boy to bed, who turned out to not even be her son. Apparently his mother had been a friend of hers and the woman had died of illness and entrusted the boy to Adeline and her son to care for.

It took a while for us to fall asleep, despite actually being tired. This was all just too much to take in. Finally the crackling of the fire lulled me to sleep, and I dreamt of finding Raine…safe and sound in the loving embrace of her king.

* * *

That morning I was shaken awake by Neron. Adeline was bustling around the den of the cottage, gathering her things. When she saw that we had awakened, she smiled brightly. "Well good morning, friends. I trust you all slept well?"

Bud yawned loudly, stretching his arms over his head. "Sure did, ma'am. Thanks for asking." Audra and I looked at each other and snorted. Adeline only smiled and swung her cloak around her shoulders. Bud looked at her with an arched brow, rubbing his chin. "If I didn't know any better, I would say you were going somewhere."

"Then you would be right. I need to go into town and gather a few things." She walked to the hearth and took her sword from atop it, strapping the belt around her waist so that the sword hung from her hips. Then she looked up at us. "Would you all like to join me? Since…you _are_ new to this world, would you like to come along?"

I looked at Bud, who looked as if he'd rather just roll back over and go back to sleep. Audra, on the other hand, looked a little curious. I, myself, didn't mind. I was up for exploring and definitely up for finding Raine, wherever she may be. "Yea, sure. We'll come along."

Adeline smiled. "Wonderful. Kate, Audra, come with me to my room. I have a few spare cloaks the two of you can wear, since it's a bit chilly outside." Audra and I jumped out of our makeshift beds and followed her across the den to a smaller room where she slept. She dug through a small chest and pulled out two cloaks. One was a deep scarlet color and the other brown. She handed them to us and turned to close the trunk.

I figured Audra would want the scarlet one, so I tossed it to her and slung the brown one around my shoulders, fastening the clasp. Audra put hers on too, and smirked. "Good. You know your place." I just rolled my eyes.

We walked back into the den with Adeline to find Bud wearing a black cloak that must have been borrowed from Neron. Neron was standing beside him in another black cloak, holding the small boy they called Blaidred in his arms. He too looked like he would rather crawl back into bed. When Adeline stepped out of her room the boy reached for her, and Neron couldn't look more pleased. Or at least, we thought he was reaching for Adeline. When she took the small boy in her arms he grunted and pointed at Audra.

Adeline looked at her sheepishly. "Oh, it seems that he wants you to hold him," she giggled undertainly before asking, "Do you mind?"

Audra shrugged. "I guess not. I have four younger brothers at home, so I'm sorta used to it." She handed the boy to Audra and the moment he was in her arms he curled up against her shoulder and fell asleep. The three of us chuckled quietly while Bud watched the scene with the hint of a hopeful smile on his face. Adeline smiled to herself at catching his expression and headed out the door into the forest. The rest of us followed suit.

Walking back almost the same way we came last night seemed different to me. More than once I had to stop walking to step over a few obstacles. I guess I had been so occupied with wondering about the world around me that my coordination was a little off. What would the village look like? Would there be horse drawn wagons? Would there be knights and wealthy lords? As if hearing my thoughts, Adeline began to speak.

"Once we're in the village, I want the three of you to stay with me," she gestured to me, Audra, and Bud. "This is a small village, and almost everyone knows the other. If they see you on your own, they may feel threatened. Believe me, it is best that you are with me at all times."

Bud stepped up beside her and raised a brow. "Feel threatened?"

"It is dark times we live in, Bud. Our kingdom isn't a peaceful one. At any moment we could be attacked by the Narnians, or at least those who have grown to hate us again." We exchanged confused looks behind her back and agreed to stick with her. The rest of the walk had been a quiet one, but soon we were in the village. Sure enough, we got suspicious looks from townspeople. And not to mention I was beginning to feel extremely white. All the people in the village were dark skinned. I mean, compared to me, Adeline was dark. But these people were far darker than Adeline or her son. I'm sure the three of us stood out like sore thumbs. Bud walked in between me and Audra so that we could stay together behind Adeline. As we walked through the village in awe of everything we saw, a boy who came up to my waist ran past me and knocked me in the back of the knees. I just about fell, but I caught myself halfway down.

The boy stopped and turned around, glaring at me as if he had seen a booger fall out of my nose. "Watch yourself," he said rudely. He glanced at Bud and Audra with the same disgust, but when his eyes landed on Blaidred in Audra's arms, his eyes shone with malice. He moved so fast that none of us saw him until he was tugging the boy out of her arms. He soon had Blaidred by the hair, dragging him across the ground. The poor boy cried out for help and Neron ran after him as Adeline shouted in anger. The boy had drug him off to the side of a farmer's stand and began beating him, punching him and kicking him in the side when he fell. The pained cries of the small boy made my blood boil and I took off to help him in case Neron didn't get there soon enough. Neither of us made it to him, though, before a tall man in brown armor picked them both up by the forearms and slung them over his shoulders.

"Unhand my son!" Adeline cried, gathering her skirts and running to the man. At hearing her demand he turned and looked at her sharply. Blaidred was crying silently and rubbing at the place where the man's hand was grasping his arm roughly. The other boy just hung there, glaring at the man and everyone else around them.

"Take care what you say, woman. I am a guard of Caspian King. You would do well to remember your place," he spat before dropping both boys to the ground. The bigger boy who had beaten Blaidred landed on his feet as he was taller and stronger, but poor Blaidred fell on his side and yelped. I ran forward to help him, but out of nowhere two muscled arms grabbed my sides and threw me to the ground. I heard shouting and looked to the side to see Audra lying in a heap on the ground a few feet behind me and Bud and Neron were braced against a stone wall by two guards. Adeline's hands were already bound and she was being handled roughly by the guard she had confronted.

"Coronel, I was only going to take the boys to the king, but instead I think these intruders should be taken in as well," the guard holding Adeline said, gesturing to the rest of us.

"What? What have we done?" I asked, feeling the fiery spirit in me acting up. But I was answered with a hand landing roughly on my left cheek.

"You will only speak when spoken to. As a matter of fact," he said, yanking a piece of cloth out of his sidebag and tying it around my mouth to serve as a gag, "you won't speak at all." I was soon being thrown over the back of a horse, and the guard who had captured me mounted the horse behind me. I looked to the side to see that Audra and Adeline had been done the same, and Bud and Neron were trailing behind their guards' horses on ropes. Blaidred and his attacker sat, hands bound, behind another guard on the back of another horse.

What the hell did we do? We were the ones who had been attacked?

When we got to the castle, we were roughly thrown from the horses backs and then drug to the castle. Through three sets of heavy, wooden doors we went until we came to a large throne room. Inside there was a great stone throne, but it was empty. Beside it an old man was pacing with his hands behind his back. When he looked up and saw us, his eyes widened. The guard handling Adeline stepped forward, dragging her roughly behind him.

"Doctor, please inform His Majesty that we've found more scum to fill his cells." I scoffed through my gag at the guard, wondering on what grounds he could call us 'scum'. But at the order, the old man nodded, though he looked at Adeline as if he knew her. He then disappeared through the double doors.

This was it. When he returned, he would no doubt have the king with him…and possibly Raine. And they would see us like this. The king would meet us…_like this_. Audra and I had dirt caked on our clothes and our faces from being thrown on the ground, Bud and Neron were sporting some nice pretty bruises from being socked, I could feel a bruise from where I'd been backhanded, and Blaidred was obviously a mess. The other boy who'd been brought looked like a pigpen, but who cares about him. He was a little terd anyway.

This was definitely NOT my idea of a perfect first meeting with the man my cousin loved.

* * *

**Raine's POV**

I don't know how long we laid there in his bed, just enjoying our moment of being together. I was now lying on my side, as was he. He had fallen asleep during our makeout/cuddle session, and I didn't dare bother to wake him. Now that he was sleeping softly, I could see the exhaustion in his face. So I let him sleep, and nuzzled myself against him. Subconsciously he snuggled into me and leaned his head against my chest. I spent no telling how long just running my fingers through his hair as I watched him breathe. The feeling of having him in my arms was the most amazing feeling I had ever experienced and I was dreading the moment when a servant would walk in, calling for his attention. I wished this moment could go on forever.

Finally I felt him stir. When his eyes slowly opened to see me, a contented smile graced his lips and he pulled me closer to him. "If I pretend that I'm still asleep, will you promise not to leave?" he asked softly.

I kissed his hair softly before moving to kiss his forehead. "I wouldn't leave you anyway. If you want to go back to sleep, go ahead. I certainly won't stop you."

He sighed contentedly into my hair. "I love you. More than you could ever know." I nuzzled my nose against his cheek before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"And I love you. More than you could ever possibly imagine."

And of course, our lovely moment together had to be ruined. There was a soft rap on the door, and it opened to reveal Cornelius. I would have been angry, but not with Cornelius. I actually untangled myself from Caspian's embrace and ran to him, throwing my arms around him. Yes, before you ask, I was dressed.

"My dear girl, I am so glad to see you are feeling better," he chuckled as he hugged me back. "And I apologize for interrupting, but there is a matter in the throne room that requires your immediate attention, my king," he said, bowing his head to Caspian. He almost looked…nervous? What was up with that? Ever since I had known him, he had ever been Caspian's mentor and the closest thing to a guardian he'd had.

I soon felt Caspian's large, warm hand on my back and his presence beside me. "Thank you, Doctor. I will see to it as soon as I can," he said as he smiled to his old mentor. I didn't miss the look of confused relief that passed over the man's aged features. Caspian walked past him, clapping him on the back good-humoredly and took my hand to lead me. I kissed Cornelius on the cheek before letting Caspian lead me down the hallway.

"So I wonder what's happened that is so important?" I pondered aloud.

Caspian shrugged. "There's no telling. It's probably another scuffle in the town."

Finally we reached a pair of heavy oak doors that must have led to the throne room. As we approached, they were opened and in we strolled side by side. I felt a little funny walking beside him, since he was the king and I was just…little 'ol me, but he wanted me there at his side, and there at his side I would be. Entering the large room, we saw six guards holding a group of people in bounds. Three of them looked oddly familiar, but all I could see were their backsides, which were dressed in heavy riding cloaks. The first guard bowed when he saw Caspian and soon the others followed suit. The prisoners slowly turned to face us and I almost shouted for joy.

The first one I saw was Kate. I'm not sure why she was wearing a brown cloak, or where she got it, but I was so happy to see her! Then my eyes focused on Bud and Audra behind her, and I might have cried out. My friends were here…in Narnia! But then I saw the bruises and state of their attire. Why did they all look as if they'd been in a huge mud wrestling match? I ran forward and threw myself on Kate, and despite her injuries, she laughed.

"Cuz! What are you doing here!?!" I asked her, while looking at my other two friends, who were beaming at me brightly through the smudged dirt on their faces.

"Well, I guess you could say we followed you." At her speaking, the guard beside us held up his hand as if to strike her. Kate shrunk away, and I stared at the guard with wide eyes.

"What in the HELL do you think you're doing?" I asked, stepping in front of Kate to shield her.

The guard sneered as he looked me over. "Who in the hell do you think you are to step in my way?" His hand almost connected with my face when the tip of Caspian's sword met his cheek.

"Touch her, Tivoldo, and you will spend the rest of your days in your very own cell," his now dark and dangerous voice threatened. "It would do you well to read up on our history." The guard looked at him with nervous eyes and put his hands up, backing away slowly. Then Caspian looked at me, his fiery brown eyes instantly softening as he took my hand in his. "So you may know, this is the Lady Raine that you've all heard so much about. She is very dear to me and you will treat her as such. If any of you so much as lay a hand on her in any way, I will see to it that you don't touch _anyone_ again."

I noticed how dark and harsh his voice became when he spoke to his guards. Was this why Cornelius had been so uneasy around him? Was this the _new_ Caspian? After addressing his men, he turned back to me and placed a soft kiss on my hand. Then he looked at the other prisoners. "Release them. They are of no threat." The guards unbound my friends, and the older woman and young man were also unhanded. They, too, looked familiar. The boy caught me staring at him and turned to meet my gaze. Jesus, his eyes were green. I _knew _those eyes…

Caspian took Kate's hand and brushed a soft kiss on her knuckles in greeting. "I do not believe we've met, and you seem to be very dear to Raine. I am Caspian."

Kate's eyes widened when he said his name and she looked at me in question. I nodded, blushing lightly because I knew exactly what she was thinking. "So you're the man I've heard so much about," she laughed lightly before tilting her head forward in respect. "I'm Kate, Raine's cousin."

Caspian bowed his head to her, and looked up with glittering eyes. "I'll find out what you meant by that later, Kate. And welcome to Narnia." He then moved to Audra, who was nestled protectively in Bud's arms. They both had seen the exchange between Caspian and Kate and relaxed when they saw him coming their way. "You must also be Raine's friends. I am Caspian, king of the realm in which you now stand. Welcome to Narnia," he bowed his head slightly in greeting.

"Thanks. I'm Bud, and this is my wife, Audra. And yes, we're both friends of Raine," Bud answered stiffly, but politely. He was still on guard, but I think it was mostly because he saw the appreciative looks this king was getting from both Raine and Kate. Caspian then nodded to both of them and returned to my side to reclaim my hand. He tried to meet my gaze, but it was glued on the woman standing in the back of the group. Her eyes were glued to me as well and she looked almost afraid.

"Querida, what is it?" He asked curiously.

I gave his hand a gentle squeeze and stepped towards the woman. The minute she saw us walking towards her, she dropped to her knees and bowed to the floor. I knelt in front of her, wishing she wasn't bowing to me. "I feel like I know you, milady. Please, tell me your name." After being away from Narnia for seven years, all this renaissance speech still felt a little weird. I was slipping back into it pretty easily, though.

Slowly the woman sat up to look at me. Emerald green eyes looked at me from behind a face strained and stretched by old age. Wavy red hair framed her face and a few gray strands mixed amidst the pieces of red. First she looked at me in shock, but a slow smile appeared on her face. "Raine, it's me. Adeline."

I looked at her, tilting my head as I looked over her features. She did look like my Adeline, but time had been cruel to her. Vivid red hair, piercing green eyes, a gentle motherly voice…it was definitely my Adeline! I threw my arms around her, swaying from side to side as I hugged her. "Adeline! Oh my God, how have you been? I've missed you so much!" I pulled away and saw the young man standing to her side, who was looking at his feet sheepishly. He was tall with a slightly lighter complexion than his mother, with sandy hair and the same eyes…Neron. "Neron?" I asked. He looked up at me and grinned. "My God, you've grown…you're a young man now! Man," I pouted slightly, crossing my arms as I studied him, "and I missed it all."

Neron dropped to his knees and hugged me tightly. "We're glad you're back, Raine. You've no idea what His Majesty has been through since you left." I smiled weakly, trying my best to hide what I was really thinking. I looked at Caspian beside me, who was suddenly highly fascinated by the beading on his sleeve. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something small crawl into Adeline's arms. I turned to see a small dark-headed boy who most definitely wasn't of any relation to Adeline. He regarded me with big curious brown eyes.

"And who is this handsome young boy?" I turned to face the boy who, as he looked back up at me, was blushing furiously and attempting to bury himself in Adeline's cloak. Adeline smoothed the boy's hair back from his forehead with a smile.

"This is Blaidred, a good friend of ours. He's come to live with us for the past few years," she said as she rubbed his back lovingly. Even though he wasn't her son, I could see it in her eyes that she loved him as if he were. He couldn't have a better guardian, and not to mention a better brother than Neron. I was sure that Neron must have been pleased to have a little brother. Soon Adeline was being lifted to stand, and I turned to see Caspian lifting her up.

"Please, Adeline, don't stress your knees. Why don't we sit down for a meal together? It's been too long since we've done so, and I would much like to get to know our guests better," he said as he nodded his head politely to Kate, Bud, and Audra. He looked to me, taking my hand to pull me to my feet. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze as we led our friends out of the throne room and down the hall.

What a day this had turned out to be. I fell asleep, twice, in the arms of the man I loved and found out that my friends were in the same world. As we walked down the hall, I heard Neron joking with Bud about something that I couldn't quite make out and knew that those two, despite the minor age difference, would get along well. Adeline was talking with Kate and Audra and I could hear Audra giggling. Everything was perfect at the moment, and became even more perfect when Caspian put his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side. He leaned down and kissed my temple softly. No words needed to be spoken. I could feel his love rolling off of him in waves, and his happiness was lighting the entire corridor.

This man, this king, was my Caspian.

* * *

A/N

There's a new chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed it.

~Rhythmic5


	11. Chapter 11

A/N

Summer is here! You know what that means? It means that I will actually be able to continue writing and updating! Yayuh! Alrighty, so here's a new chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it.

* * *

Reminder: Fate Hates You

"…and she just about jumped out of her skin." Kate said through a laugh, slapping Audra playfully on the leg. Audra just glared at her as seriously as she could, but the corners of her lips were starting to turn upwards. I was curled up on the floor laughing, wiping tears from my eyes. Adeline just shook her head as she laughed along, shooting Audra a playful glance of disapproval.

"Wouldn't you jump too? I was sitting there…minding MY OWN BUSINESS! And then this jackass," she pointed at me, from where I was balled up into the fetal position and guffawing like a hyena on laughing gas, "thought it would be cute to throw herself against the window and scare the living bejesus out of me!" She threw her hands up in the air in exasperation before bursting out in giggles at the looks on her friends' faces.

Adeline reached across the floor and patted Audra on the knee. "It's alright, Audra, I would have been frightened, too."

"You would have right to be frightened of my dearest Raine. She can be quite the lethal lady when she wants to be," came the voice of Cornelius from the doorway. All four of us turned to see the portly old professor leaning against his walking stick and smiling. I got up and walked over to him, giving him a big hug. "But as dangerous as she can sometimes be, she is still the most endearing lady this world has ever seen. Some would agree that she is as endearing as the memorable Queen Lucy."

That made me blush a little, but my heart pattered at the mention of one of my dearest companions. I missed those four. I wondered how they were, and if they were even still alive. Damn, time was confusing…especially in Narnia. "Aw, Cornelius, you're giving me way too much credit. No one could ever compare to any of the kings and queens of old. I don't think anyone could ever come close to them as far as integrity and courage is concerned…except for maybe Caspian," I said, trying my best to get rid of the blush on my cheeks.

"Well, His Majesty has told me differently, dear girl." I gave him another tight hug and turned to see Adeline getting up from where we had been sitting on the floor of the bedroom Caspian had given Kate for her stay. She walked over and gave me a kiss on the forehead and patted my shoulder.

"I hate to leave, but poor Blaidred has crashed on your bed and I need to get him home."

I smiled at her motherliness. "Don't worry about it. I'll still be here. You just go right on ahead and get the kiddos home." At about that time, Neron walked in with a softly snoring Blaidred in his arms.

Adeline giggled. "See, Neron is ready to get back as well." The boy grinned shyly and blushed as he shrugged. "I really feel terrible about leaving so soon," she said as she placed her hand softly upon my shoulder.

I patted her hand and smiled. "Addie, don't worry about it. Just get these babies home."

Neron clicked his tongue. "I'm not a baby anymore, Raine. And you're not that much older than I am, yourself!" I just laughed and winked at him, causing him to blush again.

His mother smiled almost wistfully. "It's been a very long time since someone called me by that name," she paused as she stared unseeingly at the stone wall across from her. "I wonder how Faith is…I wonder how everything has turned out for her."

"Faith has two lovely children that I have grown to love dearly, a boy and a girl. She also has a loving husband who wouldn't go on a day without her," I said. A happy smile spread upon my lips as I remembered my old friend. "Yep, Addie, life has treated her well. She's happy, healthy, and one of the most amazing people I've ever met."

I heard a soft sniff and looked over to see Adeline wiping tears from her eyes. She smiled a watery smile and smoothed out her hair. "And so she was when I knew her." Blaidred shifted in her arms and smacked his lips, which told us that it was time for our little reunion to be over. "Alright, well, we had better be off. I'm sure we will be back to visit soon." And with a hug and a kiss from her on the forehead, the three were out the door and off into the night. After I saw them disappear I turned to see Kate and Audra dancing…or should I say having seizures? Audra was doing a weird little move where her butt girated and her boobs shimmied. Kate, being the extremely white kid in the group (who happens to suffer from Caucasion Rhythmic Disfunction), was doing the jackhammer. Oh, my twisted friends.

"Man, what the hell? There's no music!" I shook my head as I leaned against the door's frame. Cornelius patted his belly and chuckled.

"You do not always need a hearty melody for frivolity, my dear," he said as he patted me on the back.

Kate stopped jackhammering and looked at me through mock narrowed eyes. "Geez, has this place really made you _that_ stiff?"

Audra started giggling at that like a chipmunk again. "I don't think _that's _what's made her stiff…" Now if that wasn't suggestive, I didn't know what was.

"AUDRA! What in the HECK is that supposed to mean?" I shouted as I felt the blush rising to my cheeks. About that time I felt a new presence enter the room. I then heard Bud's voice.

"See, I tell you. I can't take her anywhere." I turned to see Caspian and Bud standing in the hall behind me, chuckling softly at the looks on our faces. Bud left Caspian's side to take Audra into his arms, and Caspian slowly stepped forward to take his place beside me, his smoldering eyes melting into mine the entire time. I shivered involuntarily, wanting more than anything to just tackle him right there and just take him in the hallway. But…that probably wouldn't be a pleasant sight for my friends.

Kate yawned and I looked back around to see that she actually did look pretty tired. I wondered how late it actually was. I was still trying to remember my old sense of time in this world.

"Alright, well get your ass out of our room then," Bud said teasingly, shooting Kate an expression of pretend offense. Kate just narrowed her eyes and waved her fist at him.

"That's all right, Bud. I don't want to stay in here anyway. You brought your stench with you." At this, all three of them cackled. Nothing had changed since we were kids. Nothing at all. Kate gave Audra a big hug and then made her way over to me.

"G'night, Cuz. It's time for me to get some shut-eye. I would say beauty sleep, but I don't think I need any extra help in that department." Bud snorted, and almost got the finger from Kate. I guess she decided to hold that back in Caspian's presence.

"Alright, good night. I'll see you in the morning…if you need anything, just tell one of the servants," I said as I hugged her back. Being the freak she is, she pinched my ass and I cried out. "Madame, that isn't yours to touch." Kate flashed a mischievous look at Caspian before smirking and walking past him. But before she could, Caspian caught her.

"Good night, Kate. I do hope your room is to your liking, if there is anything that you need…anything at all, just let a servant know." Kate tried to bow but Caspian shook her hand instead, earning a confused look from her. But then she realized that he was trying to make her feel welcome, and she smiled before patting him on the shoulder. She walked out into the corridor to her room, which was one door down. Caspian looked at me triumphantly, glad that Kate had accepted him. I only snuggled into his side before looking back to Bud and Audra. And bless their hearts, the two of them were already fast asleep in bed. They were snuggled together sleeping soundly, and gentle snores were rumbling from Bud. My heart swelled at the sight of the happily married couple, and I pulled the covers over them before walking out and blowing out the torches that were lighting their room.

I closed the door softly and couldn't help the smile that spread across my lips. I felt Caspian's chest lean against my back and I leaned into him, sighing. His strong arms wrapped around my waist and his chin rested on my shoulder. My lips smiled even more as I felt his warm cheek brush against mine. I could feel him breathing gently, and the steady beating of his heart could be felt against my back. Slowly I was being turned in his arms, and I looked up to see him beaming down at me.

"You're glowing with happiness, Querida," he said softly as he tucked a stray piece of my hair behind my ear. His thumb grazed my cheek and I leaned against it, craving for the feel of his warm skin.

"I can't help it. This has been the most perfect day. I fell asleep in your arms twice, woke up in your arms once, found out that my three best friends are here, and I saw Adeline and Neron again," I replied through another smile. "It's too hard to hold it in."

Slowly he pressed his lips against mine, and I felt my heart skip a beat. "Then don't." I pulled away from the kiss slowly and leaned against the wall behind me. His lips followed me, not wanting to end it so soon. His eyes opened and he looked at me with arched brows. "What?"

I only smiled in response before running down the corridor towards his…i mean, _our_ room. When I got there, I threw the door open and looked for a quick place to hide. Caspian was coming down the hall slowly, calling my name as if he didn't really know where I was. I ran to his bathroom and closed the door quickly. I heard him walk into the bedroom, calling my name.

"Raine? Wheeeeere are you?"

I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped my lips that totally gave away my position. Through the small crack I'd left in the door I could see his head snap in my direction and his eyes narrowed. "Raine? Why are you hiding?" He took a few steps, wrapped his fingers around the silver door knob, and yanked the door open. Of course, being the genius that he is, he stood right in the way. And being the klutz that I am, I fell right into him when he jerked the door open. He fell backward and I landed on top of him. How nice.

"Found you," he said through a chuckle. I giggled with him, and placed a soft kiss on his lips. He parted my lips and I felt the kiss deepen. That familiar feeling was burning in my stomach and I felt my heart beating faster and faster. My hands found their way beneath his tunic, and my fingers started outlining his muscular form. What I didn't expect was to feel his hands venture beneath the tunic I was wearing and travel up my bare back. I gasped and his lips smiled against mine. The touch was a foreign feeling to me, as I had never allowed another man to touch me except Caspian, and I arched into him, deepening the kiss. His fingers trailed up my spine and I could feel them trembling. I felt his breathing grow deeper and less steady. I was trembling just as much as he was.

"I need you," I whispered against his lips. I let my hands find his back and explore the hard muscles there.

His hot breath fanned across my lips as he said, "I need you much more." He claimed my lips again and my hands traveled lower, cupping his ass. I wasn't at all surprised to feel how firm it was. He trembled beneath my touch, and I wondered if he had waited for my touch like I had waited for his. Caspian raised up and held me against him, and then I was being set down on his bed. No, more like _pushed_ down. He lowered himself on top of me and as our lips clashed again, his hands traveled up my sides and stopped just beneath my breasts. Breathing had just gotten a lot harder. I caught the hem of his tunic in my hands and lifted it up over his head. He raised his arms and tugged it off the rest of the way, before lowering himself back on top of me. His lips were tracing my neck and collar bone when we were, unfortunately, torn from the moment.

There was a loud crash, followed by Audra screaming. We both froze and I felt Caspian tense on top of me. His eyes grew cold and dark as he lifted himself from on top of me and stood. I raised up to run to Audra's aid, but he roughly pushed me back down onto the bed. "No, I need you to stay here." I was about to protest when he held up his hand and said, "Just this once, Raine, please just stay here." And with that he ran from the room. Audra was still screaming, and I could hear the muffled sound of Bud cursing through the wall. When I heard the singing of swords being drawn followed by the clashing of metal on metal, I gripped into the bed sheets tightly to keep myself from going to help. I wanted to know what was happening…it was killing me. But I didn't have to wait long for word, because Audra came stumbling into the room, clutching her chest and crying as if the world was burning.

"He's dead," was all she managed to say through her racking sobs before she fainted and fell to the floor.

* * *

A/N

Well...there it is. Hope you guys liked it. Yea, there's a bit of a cliffhanger there at the end, but I'll update again soon so you won't have to wait too long.

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	12. Chapter 12

A Strike of Flint...

"He's dead," was all she managed to say through her racking sobs before she fainted and fell to the floor.

For a moment, time stopped. The world may have stopped…it mayhave continued its minute rotation…but I wouldn't have cared. _My_ world wasn't moving. I looked down at my best friend, lying in a motionless heap on the floor. Her face was fixed in an expression of agonizing pain and pale as snow, painted by the faint glow of the winter's moon. Who was dead? Caspian?...Bud? WHO? I knelt beside Audra, afraid of the truth that was glistening in the tears clinging to her cheeks.

"Oh my God! Audra!" Kate shrieked as she ran in, throwing herself on the ground beside me. She picked up Audra's head as if it was made of sandstone, delicately brushing a piece of hair from her wet cheeks. She looked at me in frantic curiosity. "What happened? I heard the racket from my room!"

What _had_ happened? If only I could have gone to help… "I don't know. She came in and said 'He's dead' before collapsing." From beside me Kate's head snapped up. I looked back at her slowly to see her looking at me as if gauging how long it would take me to react.

"Cuz, who's dead?" She asked me slowly, watching me with something that had to have been a combination of dread, concern, and her own terror.

"I…I don't know."

Kate grabbed me beneath my arms and hauled me to my feet, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders once we were up. As we walked out of the room and into the corridor, my eyes were still on Audra. The shock of the entire situation was just too much. Before I knew it, I was being led into the room that Audra and Bud shared. Caspian was kneeling on the floor in front of a body, with his back facing us. All I could see was a pair of legs jutting out from his left. It had to be Bud. I felt a lump form in my throat, and the realization of what was happening became more solid in my mind. I ran to Caspian's side and threw my arms around him, holding on as if he could be taken from me at any moment. He jumped at my contact, but quickly pulled me closer when he realized it was me. He planted a chaste kiss on my forehead before turning my head the other way. "Caspian…what…"

"Don't look, Querida," his voice ordered sternly. His hand held the back of my neck and kept my head where it was laying against his shoulder so that I wouldn't turn to see whatever it was he was protecting me from. I still needed to know what happened…

"Is Bud okay? What happened? Caspian…" My words froze between my lips when Kate screamed from where she stood in the doorway. I turned my head to look at her and saw that she was pale white. She was crying and desperately trying to cover her gaped mouth with a trembling hand. Caspian flinched at her scream, and then looked at her. While he was distracted, I pulled away and scanned the room. And when I saw him, I felt my blood run cold. Hanging from the window frame was Blaidred with an arrow protruding from his heart and his clothes soaked in his blood. My first reaction was to run to where he hung. Where was Adeline? Where was Neron…and were they okay? Were they alive…or lying dead somewhere outside the palace grounds? Halfway across the room, Caspian caught me by the waist and stopped me. I tried to get out of his arms, but he was too strong for me and turned me around to hold me against him. In my shock, I just held onto him and rested my chin on his shoulder.

"Kate, can I ask you to take her?" Caspian asked her, his voice as hard as cold metal, but still soft with concern. I didn't open my eyes to see her, but I felt her take me from his arms. She started to lead me away and so my feet followed of their own accord. We stopped in the doorway and she slowly turned around. I looked just in time to see Caspian slash the rope that suspended the boy in midair. Caspian caught him in his arms and he looked up to meet my gaze. The raw fury in his eyes caused me to look away, and my eyes landed on the still body of Bud where he laid on the floor. I had almost forgotten about him in my state of shock. Slowly, I tore my eyes away from him and back to Caspian. At that moment, the air in the room was static, and the electric presence in the room was Caspian. Waves of anger and power were rolling from where he stood, holding the limp and bloody form of Blaidred in his arms. At that moment, I realized the man Caspian had become. I realized the power and strength he was made of, and I suddenly felt very small standing in the room with him. Kate was trembling slightly behind me…or was that me? And why was the room growing darker by the second? I couldn't tell which way was forward and which way was backward, and up became down. The last thing I saw before I fell backward was the dangerous blaze raging in Caspian's eyes.

* * *

**Adeline's POV**

Only moments ago I woke up from a violent throbbing in my head. I raised slightly from where I was lying on the cold, damp floor. I opened my eyes and looked up to see nothing, or rather a ceiling that was very dark and almost hidden by the darkness that filled the room. Or was it a room at all? I could not imagine any dwelling being this dark or this damp. It was dead silent, except for the gentle echo of water dripping. It definitely wasn't a room. As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I could see walls on either side of me, glowing faintly from the soft light of glowing embers. The moisture around me was so thick that I could smell its vapor. It was then that I felt something warm plastered to the right side of my face, and reaching up to feel it, I felt its sticky thickness. Images flew through my mind with the sounds of a recent memory, and I knew it was dried blood that I was feeling. The throbbing had diminished to a dulling ache, so I opened my eyes further. Then I recognized the feeling of being stretched too thin, like a part of me was being pulled away from the rest of my body. And my first coherent thought registered: where was my son?

I felt the evil before I saw it. A soft patter of feet was getting closer to where I was sitting against the wall. "Willowcrye, our guest has awakened," a gruff, menacing voice said.

"Wonderful. Bring her here, Kendrick," a smooth feminine voice lulled. The voice sounded warm and friendly, but the chill inching its way down my spine told me otherwise. Before I could protest, two rough hands grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. I staggered as he led me, no, _drug_ me to where the warm voice had come from. Gradually, the faint light began to get lighter. Finally, we came to a room semi-lit with torches. I could see the walls, glistening with water, and the floor which had natural springs oozing from it. This room was much cooler than the one I had been in, and I pulled my arms around myself to try to find some warmth. When I looked down at my escort, I saw a dark headed dwarf. Then I looked up to see a female centaur with hair as dark as night. In the corner of the room, beside a shadowed figure against the wall, sat a black panther. Behind me I heard more steps and turned to see a male centaur and another dwarf, both who also were dark headed. I gulped deeply, realizing the danger I was in. Dark Narnians. This was bad…no, worse than bad.

I snapped back to attention as the female centaur stepped forward. The grace in her gait was almost fluid and her eyes, which were a honey golden color, pierced me. I stiffened, knowing that I was in trouble. But as she approached me, she smiled kindly. "My lady, I am glad to see you have returned to us. You had quite an accident, and we were afraid you would not pull through."

I instantly felt my shoulders relax and I took a deep breath, but in the back of my mind I knew I had to stay on guard. Dark Narnians hated the human race...especially Telmarines. I am no Telmarine, but that was a fact that would go unnoticed. Her kindness could easily be a façade to trick me into doing her bidding, whatever that may be. "_Aslan help me,"_ I thought. I knew that the best chance I had was to play along. "I must thank you," I said as amiably as I could as I brushed a hand over the dried blood on my face, "for coming to my aid. I'm afraid I don't remember a thing, so I thank you for helping me. Or else I may not be alive."

The female flashed her golden eyes to the centaur behind me before offering me a hand. "Come, my dear, allow me to assist you. You will feel much better to have the blood cleaned from your face." I smiled gratefully and took her hand, but reminded myself to keep my eyes open in case anyone tried to pull anything. She led me to a glistening pool not far from the shadowed figure that leaned against the wall. I noticed that the panther lithely walked around it to sit in front of it, blocking it from my view. My skin prickled. Before I knew it, I was being forced to kneel beside the pool and the female was wiping my face with a cool, wet cloth. Indeed it did feel good to get the caked blood off of my skin, but I knew her kindness wasn't natural. However, to let her know that would mean trouble. As she wiped away the last remnants of my injury, she smiled, and her eyes twinkled ominously. "There, you must feel better already."

"Thank you, friend. Your kindness is greatly appreciated," I paused as I ran my hand over the now clean skin and sighed. I then looked back up at her amber eyes, and took a breath. "I owe you so much for what you have already done, but I wonder if I can ask you for one more favor?" The female nodded slowly and her eyes narrowed.

"Of course, my dear. What more can I do?" Every word slid from her lips like lace, but the venom hidden in it was almost tangible.

I squeezed my eyes shut and hesitated before speaking. "I cannot recall anything that happened. Can you tell me…I feel like my sons must have been with me…where are they?" Of course, I remembered it all. The attack, the arrow that shot Blaidred, the claws that nailed me to a large tree and smashed my head into its bark…the large blur of movement that knocked Neron onto the ground where he hit his head on a rock…I remembered it all very clearly. But I was curious as to what story she would give me. As I watched her, I saw her perfectly arched brows fall and the kind light in her eyes fade.

"I would tell you everything you want to know, my dear, but your son is waking. I will give you some time to speak to him, and he will tell you what happened." She pointed to the shadowed figure against the wall, and with a nod the panther slowly slinked away. I crawled to where Neron was slumped against the wall. When I reached his side, he turned his head to face me. His eyes were half-lidded, and he groaned.

"Mother?"

"Shh, don't speak, my son," I whispered to him as I reached for the wet cloth. I began cleaning away the dried blood from his face, and inspected his body for bonds as I did. There were no chains, and no ropes…nothing was holding him down. I realized he had lost enough blood and was weak enough to keep him still, and that our captors were aware of that. That was why his only bound was the panther. "They will kill us, Neron. They are being hospitable for now, but it is all a trick. They are Dark Narnians, Neron. We have to get out of here," I whispered in his ear, so that the others would not hear.

"But how?" he asked as he shifted slightly, then groaned in pain. I stilled him with my hand to keep him from hurting himself further.

"I don't know, my son. But it is our only other choice other than death." I heard hooves behind me on the floor, and I quieted my words, waiting.

"My dear, can we offer you any food or drink? Is there anything more we can do for you?" the female asked sweetly as she clasped her hands before her. Yea, the 'sweetness' in her voice is like the sugar coating on a pill. Once you put it on your tongue, it begins to fade away and then the bitter taste of the powdery medication hits you with full force. I was just wondering how long it would take for her sugary coating to melt away.

I nodded my head. "No, my lady, but I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for us."

She smiled in return. "Well, then I believe we have helped you to the best of our ability. We do not have medicinal supplies here, and you're best chance is to seek aid in the palace. The royal healers will be able to see to you far better than we can." Her golden eyes were beginning to glow with every word, and I realized we would walk away with our lives. But there was something far greater and more terrible at work here, and it was only beginning to brew. "Please, let us at least offer you a horse to take you back to the city. It is far too long of a distance to cover on foot, and you both are weak and parched. Duskenblaze, fetch a horse for our guests, please?"

"Of course," a deep voice replied. Only a moment later the other centaur returned with a horse behind him. He led the great beast to stand before me and handed me the reins. "May this horse grant you swift travel to the palace, my lady." I took the reins from him as he dipped his head to me. His cold eyes pierced through me and I could feel his hatred prickling my skin, but I thanked him nonetheless. I couldn't believe they were going to let us leave…it was too good to be true. I bent down to pick up Neron, as he was far too weak to stand on his own.

"Please, allow me," a deep voice said, and the other dwarf appeared beside me, helping Neron to stand. Then the male centaur lifted him and placed him atop the horse. These dark creatures masked their disgust well. What motive did these creatures have to help us against their better judgement? For years they had despised the human race, and never once hesitated to kill a human if they came across one. So what, in the name of Aslan, was influencing them to let us live? My stomach began to turn at the bloodchilling realization that a war was beginning to brew. Once I crawled on the horse in front of Neron, I bowed my head to our captors, still doing my best to hide my suspicion...even though I'm sure they had already sensed it. Without a word, they stepped aside, pointing to the mouth of the cave we were in. I nudged the horse's flank urging him forward, and held back my tears the best I could as I felt us begin to race through the cave. We soon plunged into the night and I let my tears fall free. The horse beneath me felt my discomfort and slowed, finally stopping in the clearing we had reached. I bent over and nuzzled my nose into the horse's mane, trying my best to stop the tears that were pouring from my eyes. I felt Neron rubbing my back softly and I raised, sniffling, knowing that I had to be strong. I had to be strong for my son. Blaidred was gone, and I had failed both him and his mother…my friend who had left this world so long ago. But I would not fail Neron. I grabbed his hand and wrapped it around my waist, holding it there as I squeezed the reins in my fist and urged the horse forward once more.

"Hold on, my son, we'll be back at the palace soon. Please stay with me till then."

* * *

A/N

How was that? I'm just trying to find the best way to make everything build til the big bang. Or at least, _my_ 'big bang'. I hope this wasn't a bore to everybody. Please review and let me know what you think. Even if it's a harsh review, I will still appreciate it! I just need to know that you guys are still with me.

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	13. Chapter 13

A/N

Here's a long one...or at least it's a little longer than the others. As you've probably gathered, it's starting to get a little more wild. And of course, you know me...I can't write without making things dramatic. I just can't resist...which is why you'll hate me for what's going to happen at the end of this chapter...and it will really hit the fan in the next chapter. But it's all good because you'll be screaming my name later. ;-)

Don't forget to review and let me know what you think. If you think it sucks, let me know in as many harsh and disturbing words as you can think of. If you like it so far, let me know that too. The more I hear from you guys, the more I'm inspired to keep it going.

Now on with the story. Enjoy!!

* * *

…To Produce A Spark

**Raine's POV**

Luckily Kate caught me when I fainted. I came back around about three minutes later, and the minute I did, I darted to where I had left Audra. She was awake again, sitting with her back to the wall. Her legs were sprawled out straight in front of her and her eyes were frozen to the wall across the room. I sat down slowly and took her hand in mine.

"Audra?"

She responded by tearing her eyes from the wall and fixing them on me. There was no expression in them. In her heart he was dead, and so she would be too. I didn't touch her, because I knew she wouldn't feel it. Instead we sat there, staring into each other's eyes. After a while, I felt two strong hands lift me, and before I knew it I was being carried to my bed. I was gently laid down, where I scooted myself back against the wall. I looked up at Caspian, where he was standing at the edge of our bed. The expression on his face was torn…torn between crawling over me and holding me until the world met its end, and returning to his throne where decisions had to be made. The attack was not a freak accident, and we both knew it. Behind him, a man servant carried Audra and laid her beside me, where she sat almost lifelessly. Kate rushed in behind him, and sat beside Audra, rubbing her back soothingly.

Caspian remained standing at the edge of the bed, gazing at me as if he was afraid that I would vanish from where I sat. Slowly I reached up for him, wanting nothing more than to be held in his strong, protective arms. He took my hand and remained standing, but his eyes moved to land on Kate and Audra. He studied Audra for a long time, and I could see the thought clouding over in his dark eyes. Beside me, Kate was speaking to her with hushed, comforting words. She looked at me and I could see the helplessness in her eyes as Audra continued to stare forward at nothing. Kate looked up to Caspian pleadingly. "What happened to him?"

For the first time since the attack, Caspian looked vulnerable. He looked back at Kate slowly, gulping and closing his eyes. I squeezed his hand, trying to give him strength. Gently, he squeezed mine back before speaking. "He is alive, but only barely. He is in the healing wing, being seen to. Our head doctor is tending to him personally, and he believes that Bud will awaken. But when, and how he will be when he does, we cannot know." He swallowed roughly after he finished, and squinted down at his feet. It was hard to see him looking so broken and lost, after seeing the power that radiated from him only minutes before. My heart was swelling at the fearful look on his face, childlike in his loss for what to do. Finally I couldn't take it any longer. I stood on my knees and took his other arm, pulling him down on the bed. At first he reacted stiffly, sitting beside me and looking at me as if he didn't remember who I was…as if he didn't remember who _he_ was.

"Caspian, breathe. It is alright," I said softly as I reached up to rake my fingers through his hair. Running them along his scalp, the confusion in his eyes subsided and the clouded thoughts lightened up. I placed my hand over his heart and could feel it racing, and I could feel the distress he was feeling. "Come back to me," I whispered in his ear. Those seemed to be the magic words, because slowly he began to relax, and the tension in his body melted as he wrapped his arms around me. I sunk myself into him as he buried his face in my hair, and I could feel him breaking down. He began to tremble, and I could feel him breathing deeply against me. I held onto him tighter, feeling my heart breaking for him. Once again I was reminded that even the strongest could feel weak.

After a while, I felt him calming. "Caspian?" I asked delicately, not knowing if he was ready to speak yet.

Slowly he pulled his face from my shoulder and looked at me, questioning in his eyes. "It's them. The attack…Blaidred and Bud…it's a reminder," I said sadly. The words rolled from my lips almost reluctantly, dread seeping with every syllable.

His chocolate eyes darkened. "A reminder to remind you to kill me," he said emotionlessly. I nodded.

"Your Majesty," a servant called from the door. The boy's eyes were as big as saucers as he stood nimbly. We all turned to listen to him when in stumbled Adeline beside him, half her face washed in blood and her dress tattered as if she had been mauled.

"Please help Neron," she muttered weakly. I jumped from where I was curled up with Caspian on our bed and caught her just as she was about to stagger into it. "Help him…"

"Addie, where is he?" Caspian asked calmly, grasping her shoulder. She looked back up at him and an expression of relief and passed over her features. She shakily placed her hand over his wrist and took a steadying breath.

"The courtyard…at the north entrance," she said before laying her head down on the mattress. I combed her hair out of her face and helped her to lay flat by pulling her legs up to rest on the bed. Then I looked to Caspian. We both shared a worried glance, but he brushed his lips against my forehead and then rested his forehead against mine in desperation.

"Stay here, Raine," he looked at Adeline, Audra, and Kate. "Watch over them. I don't think there will be another attack tonight, but stay with them just in case." Pride swelled within me as I knew that he trusted me to defend again.

"I'm surprised you are willing to let me fight," I teased, trying to lighten his spirits.

He lightly smirked back, and I could see that it was forced. "Your knives are in the wardrobe." And with that he left the room. Audra was lying down beside Adeline, and both were sleeping. Kate was sitting on the edge of the bed with her chin in her palm. She leaned back and looked at me with tired, glassy eyes.

"So you know what that was all about?" she asked.

"The attack?"

She squinted her eyes. "Yea. What was it all about?"

I sighed deeply before beginning the long explanation. "Well, remember that I was captured when I was brought here. My captors were Narnians, and their reason for bringing me back here was to have me kill Caspian," I hesitated when I realized my fists were bunching up the sheets. "I'm guessing that Blaidred's murder was a subtle reminder to me that I have a job to do." I spit the word 'subtle' as if it had left a bitter taste on my tongue.

Kate watched me with a nervous expression on her face. "You're…you're _not_ going to," she bit her lip, "…kill him, are you?"

I whirled around and stared at her incredulously. "WHAT?"

"Well," she stammered, "you won't actually do it, will you?"

I sat there for at least a few minutes, trying to breathe. The cloth of the bed sheets was biting into my fingernails because I was gripping them so tightly. Did she actually think I could kill the love of my life? "Kate, if I took his life I would without a doubt have to take my own," I said in raspy voice.

Kate looked down at her feet ashamedly. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have even considered-"

"It's okay. It was a legitimate question." I stood up and slowly walked towards Caspian's wardrobe and wrenched it open, out of the need to do something other than sitting still. Kate watched my every move as if she was afraid I would go postal any second. After searching through many hanging tunics and coats, I found what I was looking for. Sitting patiently in their sheaths were my twin knives. I reached for them and pulled them out. "After all, it will be me who takes a stand. It is I that they look to for his murder, right?"

"What are you doing, Cuz?" Kate asked curiously from where she sat beside the sleeping women on the bed.

I strapped the sheaths onto my back and took both blades out, swinging them in the air. The hissing of the metal slicing through the air gave me a much needed rush, and I felt like I was ready to fight once again. I then remembered Kate was in the room with me, and looked over to see her arching a brow. "I will have to set this right, because if I don't, who will?" With that, I sliced through the air with the blade, knowing that one way or the other, I would have to do something. What happened during that seven years I was away that turned the Narnians against Caspian?

Kate arched another brow as if dismissing what I said. Of course, I knew it would be brought up again sooner or later. "Soooo that's what those things were for," she said as if putting two and two together as she eyed my knives.

"What do you mean?" I asked, stilling the blades in midair.

"Well," she paused to scratch her head, "now don't be mad, Cuz. But, I borrowed your knives that you had in your room."

I blinked a couple of times…should I be angry or impressed? "Wait, you did? What for?"

She sat there watching me as if trying to gauge my reaction. "I took them when we came to find you. You know…for protection."

Ah. That made sense. "Do you have them with you now?"

She chewed her bottom lip as she thought. "No, I think they're in my room…why?" I grinned openly this time, and sheathed my blades on my back. When I stood there and crossed my arms…while grinning…she actually looked a little nervous. "Cuz…why are you looking at me like that?"

"You wanna learn how to use'em?" I asked, not even trying to straighten my lips. Her eyes grew even bigger.

"Are you….are you serious?"

"Ohhhhh yea."

She shrugged her shoulders. "Sweet." At that moment, Adeline turned over and moaned softly. _Neron. _Kate looked from the sleeping woman to me, as if asking 'what should I do?'

"I'm going to go see what's become of Neron," I mumbled absentmindedly as I took my knives from my back and set them back in the wardrobe, "stay here and make sure they are alright if they wake up."

"Alright, but before you do, help me put them to bed," she said, looking down at Audra and Adeline.

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

I grabbed a guard to come with me as I raced down the corridors to the courtyard. When we reached it, darkness had covered the grounds like an ebony blanket. The night was clouded and the foreboding scent of rain was heavy in the air, and no moon offered the night any guiding light. With a lit torch in hand, the guard and I set across the yard toward the northern entrance where Adeline said she had left Neron. Holding up my torch, I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in the darkness. But as we neared the archway of the entrance, I could make out the figure of a horse. The animal seemed to have a load on its back, and just when the guard called, "Who goes there!" the load groaned painfully.

"Neron!" I called to him, so he would not be alarmed. I did not know if he carried any weapons on him, but I wouldn't take my chances. The boy groaned in response and shifted, trying to raise his head to see us. We were close enough that we could see our torches reflected in his eyes. "Neron, we've come to help you. You're mother is inside, getting care." Now I was at the horse's feet, looking up at the disoriented boy. I switched the torch over to my other hand so I could reach up to him. Lifting the light higher, I saw that he was bleeding from beneath his thick hair. How long had they been riding? Head wounds were serious, and I knew not how long he had been injured. He leaned towards me, trying to identify my face.

"Your Majesty?" he muttered mushily, his words slurring slightly in his pain. Before I could answer, he fell over and luckily I was there to catch him. The guard jumped to my side and I adjusted myself so that Neron hung between the two of us. With the guard taking one arm over his shoulder and I the other, we hauled him slowly back to the castle. A stable hand had been watching nearby, and quickly took the horse who was more than a little spooked by the incident.

It did not take long to reach the healing wing, Doctor Cornelius instantly walked to my side at the sight of the almost unconscious boy we were carrying. Without any questions, he pointed to a bed not too far from where Bud lay, and we carried him there as carefully as we could. A young woman began cleaning the wound on his head with a damp cloth as he lay there, staring at me through half-lidded eyes. The woman glanced at me before reaching for a new cloth. "Your Majesty, can you tell me how long his wound has been open?" she asked with a soft yet firm voice.

Her voice rang in my head and I couldn't place where I had heard it before, so when I answered her my words came out a little flat. "I cannot." The servant returned to her work and after wrapping a fresh bandage around the boy's head, she left to tend to Bud. I continued to watch her as she worked, knowing that I had seen her before. And then it clicked.

"Farrah? Lady Farrah?" The question was more directed to myself and my memories, but she answered it with confused smile.

"Yes, my king…it is I." She peered back at me from the side, sounding unsure as to why I was calling her out.

I felt my mouth drop open. It _was _Farrah. I studied her appearance, not believing that this was one of the few true companions my mother had known. "You were a friend to my mother." She turned to face me directly now, and a sad smile spread upon her lips.

"I was. She was a fine woman, Your Majesty, and a most ardent friend to me and my family." She clasped her hands before her and her eyes were glued to the ground. "Why do you question, milord?"

I gulped, realizing what a fool I must look. "I apologize, it's just that I only just now remembered you. I am sorry, dear friend."

Her smile brightened at that and she shook her head. "Not to worry, Your Majesty, all is well. But please excuse me, my king, for I must see to another patient," she asked as she motioned towards Bud's bed with her head.

"Of course," I said with a light dip of my head.

"Oh, and Your Majesty, welcome back," her voice floated from behind her as she walked. I turned and looked at her curiously.

"I beg your pardon?"

She turned to look at me again. "You have been away for several years. The staff and I are glad to see you have returned to us." She smoothed her skirts. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say we are eternally grateful to the Lady Raine for bringing back to us our king." As I listened to her words, I understood what she meant. I had been absent. For seven years, Narnia had no king. But I was back now, and all would be righted with time. I nodded back to her again, not feeling a need for any more words. The guard who had helped me carry Neron had long since returned to his duties, and so I left the healing wing alone. The corridors were faintly lit with blazing torches that rested in sconces along the walls, and the air was cool in the empty halls. I looked up, not able to see past the shadow but knowing a ceiling was there. Now that I was alone, my thoughts were beginning to make themselves known in the dark recesses of my mind. For all those years that Raine had been gone, I had become a monster. The prince I had been became no honorable king. The crown had been set atop the head of a strong man, but that man became a pitiful shell of a being. What had I done? And now, after so many years, a race that had once been my people wanted me dead. Yes, not all Narnians held undeniable hatred for me; only the Dark Narnians wanted my blood. I sighed and stopped dead still in the corridor, leaning against the wall. I leaned my forehead against it, wishing I could just still my thoughts so that maybe one at a time I could piece together where I had gone wrong. They wanted me dead. They wanted me dead so badly that they found a portal to Raine's world and brought her back. They brought her back to this world with the hope that they could convince her to kill me. How could _anyone_ want someone dead that badly? That they would take the one I love most and turn her against me to do their dark bidding?

Fortunately, Raine had no intention of doing it. How could she? We loved each other. One of these days she would be my queen. No, she would be Narnia's queen. She would become my wife, and indeed make me the happiest man in all the world. _She could be taken from me yet again._ No, she would not be taken from me again…never again could I lose her. I would protect her with my life, for now she _was_ my life. I knew this. I had known it before she left, but now I knew it like I knew the afternoon sky is blue. Because if I could not hold her, or touch her, hear her voice or see her face, I could not be.

I was shaken from my thoughts at a flash of lightning that illuminated the entire hall. My head snapped up to the small window not far from where I stood, and a cool draft of air wafted to me, chilling my skin where a few drops of perspiration had risen. Only seconds later, thunder clapped outside the small window. A chill shot down my spine at the coolness of the air drifting in through the window, and I wrapped my cloak tighter around myself. I knew deep inside that the worst was yet to happen. Blaidred was dead, and Bud was believed to be in a coma. The Dark Narnians had killed a young, innocent boy, and threatened Adeline and Neron. All three were personal connections to Raine and myself, but more closely to Raine. And now that Bud was clinging to his life, who was also a personal connection to Raine, I could see the unmistakable threat to our lives. Since Raine was unwilling to take my life, _they_ were determined to use a little persuasion. This was only the first attack, and I knew there would be more. The chilling question was, what would they do next? _Who_ would they take next? I was the final destination, so to say…the ultimate goal. So they would not come for me, for it was Raine's job to finish me off. I knew then that Audra and Kate had to be watched carefully, and security around the palace needed to be strengthened. And if I did nothing else in these dark and perilous times, I would protect Raine with my life. There was another flash of lightning outside, followed by a threatening rumble of thunder, and rain began to fall softly. Feeling the coolness of the storm seeping through my cloak, I peeled myself from the wall where I had been tending to my thoughts and began to make my way slowly down the hall.

When I reached the bedchamber that Raine and I now shared, I was relieved to see that everyone had left. Raine was standing at the window, lightly resting against the ledge with one of my cloaks wrapped around her shoulders. I stood in the doorway, admiring the sight of her. A few candles had been lit to provide some light in the darkened room, and one faintly flickered and threw shadows across her face. Lightning flashed again and fully illuminated her face, and I was reminded how divinely beautiful she was. I gulped roughly, and winced at how audible it had been. She obviously heard it because I saw her blink out of her trance and turn her face to me. "Kate and I moved Adeline and Audra to Audra's room. They were both were very tired and I hadn't the heart to move them too far in their state," she explained quietly, as if afraid to raise her voice. And I soon knew why. I could see the moisture glistening on her pale cheeks in the glowing candlelight and suddenly felt the need to go to her. Before I knew what I was doing, I felt my feet leading me over to her and I soon had her in my arms, never wanting to let her go.

* * *

**Raine's POV**

This was all my fault. Blaidred's death, Bud's coma, and whatever had happened to Adeline and Neron…it was all because of me. But what could I do? They wanted me to kill Caspian…one I loved beyond anything else. I couldn't do that. He was their king! How could they want their king dead? I just couldn't fathom anything that Caspian could have done to merit this hatred from his people. I ran my hands over my face tiredly, wondering what had happened. One moment I was in my home in my world, being miserable, and the next I was here in Aslan's country, being told that I was appointed to take the life of the king. And not just the life of the king, but of the man who had become the reason for mine. And as a result of my unwillingness to follow through with their wish, my very dear friend was now suffering the loss of one who might as well had been her son. Because of me, both she and her son were suffering from whatever evil had afflicted injuries upon them. And not to mention, my best friend's husband was in a coma, and we had no idea how long he would be in it. I stood from the bed and walked over to the window, desiring to feel the cool air that was drifting from it. As I looked out I could see the lightning flashing in the distance, and the sweet smell of rain swirled into my nose. As much as I wanted to seek comfort in the rapidly changing weather, which would normally cheer me up, I could not. I knew the worst of this was yet to come. As terrible as a death and a few injuries was, I knew it could and most likely would get worse. But when? And who would be the victim? Whose life would be impacted by the next tragedy? Who else's blood would accumulate on my hands?

I didn't even hear the door open, as distracted as I was in my own thoughts. I wasn't even aware of another's presence until I heard a loud gulp. Turning my head, I saw Caspian standing in the doorway, looking at me with his cloak wrapped tightly around himself. Shadows played across his face as the candles nearby threw their light upon him, and once again I was stunned by the beauty that was Caspian. He was watching me silently and whether it was needed or not, I felt the need to give an explanation for the now empty room. "Kate and I moved Adeline and Audra to Audra's room. Both were very tired and I hadn't the heart to move them too far in their state," I said quietly. I didn't want him to hear the unsteadiness of my voice. Even thought it was quite dark in the room, I could see an unexplainable change in his eyes, and he crossed the room in only a few strides, taking me into his arms. With one arm he held me to him, while his other hand brushed across my cheek to wipe away tears I hadn't even been aware of. The wind blew in through the window, drawing to my wet cheek like a magnet, and I suddenly felt very cold. Without a thought, I snaked my arms around his waist and allowed him to pull me close.

"You've been crying," he said softly into my ear as he drew small circles on my back. I nodded softly as I looked into his eyes, seeing my own fear mirrored in them. I imagined Neron lying somewhere cold, alone, and nearing death, and I began to tremble. His arms slowly tightened around me and he drew me even closer. "Tell me what you are thinking."

My hand moved up to his chest, where it rested over his heart. I looked down at it and pressed my lips together in thought. "How is Neron?"

"He is fine, Querida. He had a head injury much like Adeline's, but it was still bleeding. Don't worry, though," he took a hand from my back to tuck a piece of my hair behind my ear, "he is being well taken care of."

I nodded, swallowing a whimper that was threatening to escape. "And Bud?"

I watched his chest rise beneath my hand as he inhaled deeply. "He is unconscious, but he too is being taken care of. He will be fine, my love. He will come to."

I closed my eyes, trying to take comfort in the feeling of his warm palm against my cheek and his arm around me, but comfort would not come to me tonight. All I could think of was the way Blaidred had hung from the eaves of the window frame, soaked in his own blood. What reason had anyone to take such a young life? What reason had anyone to order the assassination of their king? None of it made sense. The image of Blaidred dying with an arrow through his heart was too much. "Blaidred…" I croaked.

Caspian covered my hand with his and lowered his forehead to rest against mine. I was weeping again, and I felt his breath on my face as he tried to keep down his own anguish. "He is in a better place, my love. He is in a better place."

I shook my head, feeling my nose brush against his. "My fault…" was all I could say between my sobs. "He died…be-because of…of me." I felt the cool air meet my forehead as Caspian pulled back, but shifting to hold me tighter.

"No, don't say it," he croaked deeply, his voice cracking. "Don't you take the blame for all of this."

"But I AM to blame, Caspian! It is because of me that those creatures attacked them! Me!" My voice began to raise in my frustration. "An innocent boy is dead because of-" I was cut off by his lips on mine. A stray tear fell upon the contact. When he pulled away, he prevented my words by setting a finger upon my lips.

"I cannot let you take this upon your shoulders, my love. Not when it is me that they want."

I just looked back at him, his face blurry through my tears. I felt another cry slithering its way up my throat, but didn't know if I had the strength to release it. There were so many things that I wanted to say, like "Why do they want me to kill you?' or 'What did you do to merit this hatred?' But I felt my strength dwindling and knew I wouldn't manage it. "Why?" was all I could manage, and it came out frail and weak. And as I looked back at him, waiting for a response, a feeling of dread came over me. As I watched him, I saw the great man of unspeakable power begin fade. A tremor began to make its way through his limbs, and the light in him began to grow faint. His brows dropped, his muscles stiffened like iron, and the twinkle in his eyes that I normally saw was gone. Before my eyes he changed in a matter of seconds. The man I fell in love with had solidified into a creation of stone, and I felt my body turning cold. Maybe it was my shock that made me able to speak after that, or maybe it was my curiosity. But as I watched him darken before me, I managed to strain my voice.

"Why?"

* * *

A/N

Soooo you likey? Yay or nay? Talk to me guys.

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	14. Chapter 14

A/N

I'm pretty sure that almost all of you have been waiting for this chapter for quite some time. And being the pain in the ass that I am, I made you wait. :-D But anyways, here it is. I would love to ramble here...but I think I'll let you read...I can ramble later. Haha!

* * *

The Truth and the Promise

"Why?" I felt myself repeating, this time a little louder. His eyes were still focused on me, but it felt more like he was looking through me. Seeing the change he had taken, fear began to grow in me, no, more like swell. It was like feeling the bottom side of a balloon that was being pumped with too much air. This wasn't Caspian…this man was not the prince I fell in love with all those years ago. Who…what? I hadn't even noticed that his arms had dropped from where they had been embracing me only minutes before, and he had taken a couple of steps back. He remained silent, his face hard as quartz, his eyes as dark as the nothingness that was emanating from him. I didn't understand what was happening…what had I said? Why wasn't he speaking? Why had he moved away? I felt something sort of like magma boiling in my stomach, and it was spilling into my veins. Maybe it was the insecurity I was beginning to feel, or the anger due to his sudden distance. Regardless of why I was feeling it, though, a fire was building in me. "Caspian!" I yelled, hoping to snap him out of whatever trance he was falling prey to.

"I am not the man you think I am." I was about to retort, but my breath froze in midair as my mouth hung open. Those words wrapped around my heart like a noose, waiting to be tugged. What did he mean? I tried to pick apart his words, strain them out for meaning, but none would come. I stared at him openly, my lashes fluttering in my confusion.

"What?" I asked, now beginning to blink.

"I'm not what you think."

Once again, I opened my mouth to reply, but words would not come to me. At my silence, he turned around and stalked off a few steps towards the door. They weren't the heavy, aggitated sort of steps one takes when they're angry. They were more like the kind someone takes after they've realized that their decision has been made for them…by fate or by another. Like reluctant acceptance. Then I realized he was going to leave, and I shouted, "STOP!" He halted midstep and slowly turned his body sideways, looking at me from the side. By this time I was panting, both from the urge to cry and from the urge to punch something…or just turn this room upside down. "Don't even think you can just walk away from me after telling me something like that." My words came out cold and steely, not at all like how I thought they would. On the inside I could feel myself shaking, but on the outside I felt as if my very skin had solidified to granite. At this point I probably could have hit Edward Cullen without breaking every bone in my hand.

"Okay," he said darkly, still glaring at me sideways, "what more do you want?"

Smack. That felt like a slap across the face. More like a backhanded bitch slap. I felt my heart melting down to something thin…not quite water, but not thick enough to be wax. When I studied the unfeeling, uncaring look on his face, whatever had melted froze over and crystallized. But despite what I was feeling on the inside, my exterior hardened even further. "How about an explanation." Normally, in a situation where I would be angry, I would probably shift my weight to one leg and cross my legs. I would probably glare, and narrow my eyes. But these weren't ordinary circumstances. I stood rigidly, my arms at my sides, my face hard and my fists clenched.

He stood only a step from the door, but his arms stayed at his sides. His stance almost mirrored mine, only he wouldn't face me. His lips were a thin line as he answered. "Like what."

"Well for a start, how about you turn and face me like a man." The voice coming from me didn't sound like mine at all. It was hard and low.

"You should remember your stature here, milady," he said flatly. I felt like I had just been slapped again. What the hell was with the sudden formalities?

"_Excuse me_?"

"I said," he turned to face me directly, "you should remember your stature. Keep in mind who you are speaking to." The thin layer covering whatever was left of my heart at that moment cracked…sort of like what my patience was doing.

"Oh, well perhaps you should remind me, because I don't recall sharing this room with an asshole," I said, each word drenched with venom. Had these circumstances been different, that actually would have been a pretty amusing comeback. But they weren't, and the name I'd thrown at him was hardly funny.

His eyes narrowed at that, and his face became darker. "Watch your place, woman. Consequences are severe for overstepping your boundaries."

Whatever hadn't already cracked shattered at that moment. I covered the distance between us in about two giant strides and slapped him. The act triggered something in me, and a similar image floated before my eyes. Then I remembered the first time we had gotten into a fight, and the only other time I had hit him.

The sound of my palm meeting his cheek seemed to echo in the small room. A second later, lightning flashed again, lighting up his face so that I could see his head turned to the side in the direction of the blow. His eyes were closed and his mouth was pressed together firmly. I could feel fire in my throat and clenched my fists at my sides again, afraid of what would happen if I didn't. Slowly he turned his face to look at me directly again, this time his face dark from his anger and his eyes blazing. Had I not been so enraged I probably would have cowered back, but at this point I was more afraid of seriously hurting him physically than of what he would do to me. I took a few deep breaths to keep myself under control. "Fuck your consequences. What you're about to face is far worse." And with that, I walked past him, out the door, and down the corridor. I went to Kate's room and quietly crept in, took her cloak, and crept back out, making my way for the exit. I wasn't sure where I was going…all I knew was that I had to get as far away from him as I could before I did something even more drastic.

I had hit Caspian. For the second time since we'd met, I had hit him. Despite the anger that was boiling inside of me, I wanted to cry. I _hit_ him. But what was worse was what triggered that action. _"Watch your place, woman. Consequences are severe for overstepping your boundaries." _Woman? _Boundaries_? Even before we became close he had never allowed me to even follow any sort of rules…so what fucking boundaries was he referring to? Why in the hell did he just…I don't know…go from holding me and comforting me to threatening me and glaring at me? I would say that part of me was screaming for me to turn around and run back up the corridors to where he was most likely still standing, glued to his spot. You don't know how badly I wanted to throw myself at his feet and beg for his forgiveness. But at the same time, I felt like it was I that should be doling forgiveness. If nothing else…knowing _why_ this had happened would have been nice.

I had just stepped out of the castle and into the pouring rain when I heard Caspian's voice behind me. "RAINE!" Hearing his voice only made me clench my teeth so I kept walking. The rain was cold and the drops were fat, pelting me like small stones, but I kept making my way for the stables. "RAINE!" he cried again. "Raine, please STOP!" I didn't even look back to see how far behind he was. I was only a few feet from the stables when I felt him collide into my back. His arms wrapped around me to stop me, but he slid in the mud, causing us both to topple over onto our sides. For a moment I just stayed there, trying to figure out what was really happening here. Caspian leaned over from behind me so he could see my face. His hair was half drenched in mud, and his face was dripping from the rain, but I could see the anger was gone. The moment I saw his face I jerked back and tried to stand, but he grabbed my arms, holding me to my place. I looked back at him, biting my lips to keep from screaming at him. It's a good thing he was holding my arms, because I very easily could have knocked the hell out of him in my rage. I fell to my knees, looking back at him. He crawled closer and wiped my face with the dry side of his cloak. His expression was one of fear and helplessness, and I felt confusion taking its place with the already existing hurt and anger. "Raine," he croaked weakly, and I realized he was sobbing. "Raine, please don't leave me. I-I'm sorry," he gulped. "There was no reason to behave like I did, I just f-felt insecure about t-telling y-you…"

I knew he was about to spill everything, and I wasn't sure if I could take it in my weakened state, so I quickly stood and turned to run. He was faster, though, and jumped to his feet and grabbed me before I could get away. "Please," he pleaded in between sobs, "please don't leave me. I cannot live without you." His voice was so quiet that I actually had to strain my ears to hear him over the sound of the rain. He was pressed against my back in his effort to still me, and I could feel his sobs racking through his body. "I have to t-tell you….I _have _to tell you something, Raine. And you won't like any of it, but I must tell you. Please hear me out before you decide to go. And whatever you do, know that I love you more than my own life." He said brokenly as he cried. I felt weak at the sound of his sobs, and even weaker at his words. Despite my anger I turned to look him in the eyes. They were back to their normal color, but his face had paled. He was shaking and for the first time I was feeling slightly afraid for him.

"Caspian…" At my words he sank to his knees, wrapping his hands around my knees.

"Please just hear me out," he pleaded. I looked down at him, not believing that the man who had turned so cold and unfeeling was now crying and clinging to me for his life. Who was this man? But out of curiosity and knowing that I deserved to hear the truth, I nodded and waited. He kept looking up at me, his eyes squinting in the rain, and began. "Raine, I became a monster when you left...an absolute monster. I do not blame you for leaving, for we both know you had no choice. But when you left, I was a wreck. My loneliness consumed me…I became a monster. I-" he paused, standing on his knees. "I did not s-stay faithful to you."

I stood there, taking everything in. But the last part hit me. Hard. "You…you mean…"my voice cracked, forcing me to let the sentence die.

"Yes, I was with other women," he said as he broke down again. Looking down at him as he sobbed, I almost lost my footing. But I caught my balance. _He cheated on me. _I wanted to cry, scream, and just fall to pieces, but I knew I couldn't. So I took a deep breath, hoping desperately that I could remain calm…or at least as calm as one could be when receiving such news. I knew my face was probably contorted into an ugly face of an approaching tear fest. "How many?"

"You do not want to know the number," he said, looking down at the mud. "You were away for six years, and I did not stay faithful to you. I-I began to think you would n-never return to me. I…I began to _hate everything_. I _hated_ everyone, including myself. I didn't care to live, but didn't have a reason not to. I lost faith in all…_even Aslan_," he swallowed roughly, "I mistreated my people…_our_ people."

So he became just the man that Cornelius fought so hard to prevent him from becoming. It occurred to me that the Narnians who had captured me may have actually had a reason to hate him. He lost faith, gave up on me, slept with someone else…or several 'someone else's' for that matter, and mistreated the people.

"Caspian, I don't understand…why didn't I see any of these things…"

"The moment that I saw you in the healing wing, my heart healed itself. I saw you and everything mended…I was whole again. I wanted to be the man I used to be, before we were parted from each other." His head dropped and his shoulders slumped. "I am a despicable king."

My eyes were stinging with unshed tears, even though I had cried enough to fill a river. Everything I was feeling was probably enough to cause my heart to explode. But despite it all, I knelt down to meet him. When he saw my knees, he slowly looked up to meet my eyes, as if afraid of what he would see when he did. He looked as if afraid that I would unleash it all on him, and remained slumped over. "You don't have to be," I said so softly that I almost didn't hear it myself.

His eyes flickered when I said that and he sat up straighter. "What…"

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "So you've had a rough start. But you can change it all. You can start fresh, Caspian. Become the king your father would have wanted you to be." My voice was thick with tears. "Become the king Cornelius taught you to be," I moved my hand to rest over his heart. "Become the king I left at the portal, instead of the king who walked away."

"I've done so much wrong…I've hurt so _many_…" he said almost helplessly, looking down at my wrist.

"Then fix what can be fixed. And what can't be fix, replace it," I said softly, wanting to comfort him but not really knowing what to do.

"Do I have the strength to do so…" he said to himself, though I heard it.

I smiled sadly. "I believe you do. You always did. It's here," I rubbed the place where his heart was. "I can feel it. You can right what's wrong, Caspian. I believe in you."

He looked up at my words. "You believe in me…after everything. I have hurt you far beyond anything anyone could deserve. You should be walking away from me right now, towards a life where I cannot offend you any further."

I bit my lip almost painfully, shaking my head. "If I walked away now, it would be to my death, my love."

He blinked and I could see his chest rising and falling with his breathing. "You're not going…you're not going to leave?"

I shook my head. "How could I?"

"I was unfaithful to you…I hurt you…" he said as if the words were tearing him apart.

"And you've told me the truth…and not to mention you've nearly fallen apart in the process."

"I'm sorry," he shook his head in shame, "it's just that I am so afraid of losing you again. I cannot exist in this world if you're not with me. If you walk out, then I cannot continue to live."

I felt my own shoulders slumping. "I could never leave you, Caspian," I said weakly, my lips quivering on the verge of crying again. "Never…" I felt my tears falling, and I was weeping again. He pulled me to him and I buried my face in his shoulder and he buried his in mine. I felt him sobbing against me, and would have laughed at the idea of us crying on each other if the matter wasn't so serious.

"I love you, Raine…I promise I will _never_ hurt you again," he choked. His arms tightened around me and I felt cradled.

"I love you, too. I love you so much. I promise you'll never live without me again."

At that, he exhaled a sigh of relief into my sopping hair. "Please tell me you shall keep that promise."

"Of course I will," I replied, a little confused. There was something in his eyes that made me wonder if there was more going on here than I was aware of.

He pulled back and kissed me lightly, then moved to my cheek. He kissed his way to my ear and whispered, "I will spend the rest of my life making this right." He placed kisses along my jaw. "And I intend to, every second of every day until the day Aslan calls me from this world." He continued the trail from my chin to my other ear and whispered, "Raine?"

I could barely breath from the fire he was building within me, and this time it was a very different fire. "Yes?" I barely managed to say.

I felt his arms move from around me, and he took my hands into his. I opened my eyes, and the way he was looking back at me almost caused me to stop breathing. Never had I seen so much love in his eyes, and I wanted to cry at the sight. He took my hands and raised them, placing feather-light kisses on them before looking back up at me. "My dearest Raine, would you take me as your husband?"

My breath caught in my throat. The words played on loop in my head, each time sounding softer and lovelier. I felt more sobs rising within me and swallowed softly to keep them down. _Can I be a queen? More importantly, can I be the wife he needs me to be? _The battle raging inside me was certainly enough to make me collapse, but he brought me back by rubbing his thumbs softly over my knuckles. It was such a small thing, but a warmth like no other was spreading from them and up my arms to the rest of my body. _When we have the love that we have, how can I not? _And so my decision was made. I blinked and slowly began to breathe again. I lightly squeezed his hands and scooted closer so that the distance between us was nearly closed. "I will."

For a moment he sat there, staring as if processing my answer. His eyes were shifting back and forth as he realized what I had said. And the moment that it seemed to have struck him, he took me in his arms and the world was good again. He kissed me, with so much passion that I felt my heart would burst. His lips were soft and gentle against mine, but the passion flowed with an intensity that could have put the cloudburst above us to shame. I once again felt tears streaming down my face, mingling with the raindrops, and I seriously thought that I would dry up to a raisin if I didn't stop crying, despite the rain. But this time they were tears of the most fervent happiness. We broke away for a second as he cupped my cheek and brushed away the tears with his thumbs. He looked at me as if he had just woken from a dream and whispered, "Thank you." I smiled so much that I was afraid my face might crack, and I captured his lips with mine, catching him offguard. He gasped but quickly recovered and grinned as he deepened the kiss, grabbing my hair by the roots. I gasped this time, and let him position my head as he maneuvered. The desire in me was flowing like electricity, and I knew I had made the right decision. My fingers found his hair and intertwined their way into his dark tresses, causing both of us to break away panting. There we sat, staring at each other as if not believing the other was there. Finally Caspian broke from our trance and looked up, smiling as the cool rain pattered on his face. Looking back at me, he took my hands in his again.

"I think we had better get inside. It is very late, and we should get our rest. Tomorrow will be a busy day, Querida." His voice cooed with so much warmth that I felt myself warming up despite the cool rain against my skin. My timing was priceless, too, because as soon as he said that I yawned. He laughed at that, and stood, lifting me up with him. Once we were both on our feet, he kept my hand in his and we began to walk back to the castle. After two steps, he stopped and picked me up, carrying me as if I weighed as much as a pillow. It surprised me a little so I squealed, causing him to laugh out.

"Do you know how long it's been since you did that?" I asked as I giggled, smacking him on the shoulder.

He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead, his lips lingering slightly. The gentleness of it made me sigh, and I relaxed a little more against him. "Too long," he replied as he carried me over the threshold into the castle.

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

When I awoke the next morning, I opened my eyes to see the most beautiful sight I had seen in my twenty-seven years. I was lying on my back, with Raine's head resting on my chest. I looked down, and there she was, resting against my chest, her dark hair fanned around her head perfectly. Her right hand was over my heart and her left was on my waist, heating the skin there like warm coals. Our bodies were so intertwined that one would not be able to tell where I began and where she ended. One of my arms was around her waist and my other hand was in her hair, and I knew that it must have ended up there sometime while I was asleep. I closed my eyes, not wanting our night together to end even though the sun was filtering through the curtains. Last night, something magical had happened. When we both reached our room, both soaking wet, we changed into something dry to sleep in. We weren't even concerned that our bodies and hair were still wet; all we knew was that for the night, all that existed was our love for each other. I had picked her up and set her on the bed, only because I wanted to cradle her to my body one last time before we slept. But when I set her down, I couldn't make myself let go. So I leaned over her, looking into her eyes and realizing how much I loved this woman. I heard her in my head, accepting my proposal, over and over again, and just could not get used to the idea that one day soon we would be joined together forever. She would be mine, and I would be hers…it just seemed too good to be true. I was still leaning over her, lost in my thoughts, when she wrapped her arms around my back and pulled me down on top of her. I could not resist, and gently rested atop her, continuing to stare into her eyes. It honestly felt like we were looking into one another's souls, our gazes were so open and strong. Our lips parted and our tongues met in a dance of desire and longing, and the heat in the room rose so fast I could have sworn it was ablaze. Before I knew it, we were pulling each other's clothing off, discovering our bodies as we did. And as I saw her for the first time, I realized I was loving no woman, but an angel. Not until I felt the overwhelming pent up desire within me did I realize what was happening between us. I had been traveling up and down her body and leaving a trail of kisses when I shot up from where I had laid, looking up at her, afraid that I had gone too far. But the desire in her eyes was stronger than any fear of mine. We were both so wrapped up in our moment with each other that neither of us had the strength to break away, and so we didn't bother. I joined her, and she joined me. We danced the most dangerous steps anyone can take, and we became one. By the time we collapsed upon each other, gasping for air and thanking every higher power for our union, I had realized for the first time that I had found happiness. As we laid there, staring into each others eyes, an ecstasy invaded my soul that I never could have imagined. I had loved women before, many women who left me satisfied and satiated. But never had any woman made me feel the completeness I felt when Raine and I made love for the first time. As I watched her fall asleep against me, I felt both my strengths and my weaknesses evade me. I felt both my pride and my humility fade away. Every ounce of courage I had ever possessed and every fear I had ever felt fleeted away together, leaving me with an emptiness that at the same time felt like the most divine completeness.

It was her.

As I twirled my fingers in her hair in my reverie, she awakened. Her crystalline blue eyes opened to me slowly, and the love that I saw glittering in them was enough to make my heart explode with happiness. She yawned softly, and I couldn't help but to laugh at how cute she looked. She shot me a confused look.

"What? What's so," she yawned again, "…funny?"

"Nothing," I replied, smiling. She smiled back and leaned up to kiss me. Even though it was short and gentle, I could still feel my heart racing. When she pulled away, I trailed a finger down her cheek, still not believing that we were together. "Good morning, my queen. How did you sleep?"

She blinked twice and tilted her head, "I slept wonderfully. I don't think I've slept that well in a very long time," she said, laying her head back on my chest. "And good morning to you, my king."

My fingers returned to her hair, combing through it slowly. Then I realized what she had said. My head shot up and I stared at her in surprise.

"What is it?" she asked through a laugh, her eyes dancing with mirth.

"You've never let me call you that before." It came out softer than I meant for it to, but she heard me nonetheless.

Her lips curved downward in a half-frown. "I have also never accepted the idea of becoming your queen before."

Slowly I sat up, pulling her up with me to sit in my lap. "But what of becoming my wife?"

She sat back, looking down at my stomach in thought. "That, I _dreamed_ of. Being with you has been something that I've always wanted, but felt it was so out of reach. I felt we could never be more than what we were."

I placed a finger beneath her chin to tilt her face upwards so I could look into her eyes again. "How could us being together be unreachable when our love for each other is so strong?" I asked her softly.

"Because with becoming your wife comes a responsibility greater than I can even fathom."

I tilted my head as I looked at her, because in my mind she was already carrying that responsibility even though she didn't yet realize it. "You've taken that responsibility since I met you, Querida. From the beginning, you were my princess. Every Narnian who knew you accepted you as their princess. They had already accepted you as their queen, seeing that no love could be stronger than ours." I paused, taking her hand and placing a soft kiss on her palm, "I will ask nothing more of you as my queen than I do now. And…" but my voice faded away as I realized the words I was about to utter.

She tilted her head at me this time, a piece of her dark hair falling over her blue eyes. She reached her hand up to rake it through my hair, and brought it to my cheek. The sensation it brought felt so good that I shut my eyes to revel in it. I gasped aloud when I felt her lips on each of my eyelids, kissing them so lightly that I would have questioned whether they had been there at all. As she pulled back I opened them to see the curiosity glittering in her eyes. "And what?"

I felt the subtle heat rising in my cheeks and looked away. "It's nothing…nothing at all, really." If it didn't sound convincing to me, then I knew it didn't to her.

She leaned against me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Well it doesn't sound like nothing to me," she said with a beautiful smile. I felt myself swallowing softly. "Come on, tell me."

Slowly I felt my courage coming back to me, and I took a breath. "I won't ask any more of you than I already have, except that," I paused, looking at her and fearing her good mood would fade away. "I want you to bless me with children." It took everything I had to say those words, not knowing how she would react. But when I looked back at her, I could see the joy in her eyes.

"Is that what was so difficult to say?" she said breathily. I nodded, not being able to muster any more of my voice. She then leaned up and captured my lips with hers, claiming any breath I may have had before. The sensation of light-headedness consumed me and I had to lay my head against the headboard to keep from falling over. "I am blessed that you would ask that of me," she said, just as out of breath. She rested her head on my shoulder, and together we sat there, enjoying the comfortable silence and each other. After a few minutes she looked up and said, "We can have a girl, with your hair and my eyes." The excitement in her eyes was almost enough to make me chuckle.

"Well, what if I want a boy with your hair and my eyes?" I countered with mock defense.

She narrowed her eyes playfully, grinning wickedly as she peered up at me. "Well then, you'll just have to work on that, won't you!"

I wasn't able to retort, because after the last word left her lips, I grabbed her and flipped over with a low growl that I didn't realize I could make, and we spent the next several hours trying to see if our efforts could make my request happen.

* * *

A/N

Alright...so how was that? What about Caspian's confession...and Raine's reaction to it? I know it probably wasn't as boom, pow, explosive and in your face as you wanted it to be. But there were some good parts...the proposal...and what came afterward...yea, you probably would have liked some more juicy details there, but I don't wanna reveal too much.

I'm barely getting ANY reviews! I realize it's summer and everyone is either doing summer school, working, or just plain enjoying the time off, but it would be amazing to get some feedback! PLEEEEEEAAAAAASSSSSEEEEEE!!!!! I need reviews! It's almost like everyone reads this thing and automatically thinks it's a piece of crap. If that's the case, I still want you to tell me.

Okay, sorry...I had a paranoid psycho author moment, there. [shakes out arms and takes a few breaths]. Okay, I'm good now. But I will be a hundred percent better if I get reviews from my wonderful readers...and I know you're wonderful because I know you're there.

Alright...enough of my ranting...

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	15. Chapter 15

A/N

Cheese warning...it gets a tad bit cheesey in this chapter, so brace yourselves for it. Other than that, I think it's alright.

Okay, I got SO many reviews for the last chapter. It was crazy! I loved it! And I wanted to post this chapter sooner, but I've been working like crazy. Yea, I know...same old excuse...but it's the truth, I swear.

Thanks to: LoversGraveyard Dance, Nicole Brown, Vanillastar, LittleFireQueen, **-my-forgotten-rose-, MissIndependent101, livinlife20, DarkGoddess14, **Lunafilia, ren-hatake, **StrawberryxXxKisses, moony, and erezzzz. Those were the reviews I got on chapter 14. You guys rock. Oh and the [**] indicates those of you who I remember (from the top of my head) who reviewed for My Saving Raine and are still reviewing. I hope I didn't forget anybody. But oh my God, THANKS to all of you who have been reviewing. It's like...amazing. There are so many of you who have been reviewing since before Ch.14 that I can't even list or else we truly would never get to this chapter. Reading what each of you have to say about each chapter truly does inspire me to keep going. If you're a writer yourself, then you understand completely where I'm coming from.

Everyone continue to review and offer feedback...even if it's a little negative. A little constructive criticism never hurt anyone. ;-)

But anyways, enough of my jibber jabber. Here's Chapter 15...so enjoy!

* * *

Acceptance

**Raine's POV**

The day was warm and bright, and it was more than I was capable of to resist taking advantage of the beautiful weather. That afternoon, when Caspian and I had finally left our rooms, I made straight for the gardens. I had tried pulling him along, but he had politely declined with the excuse that he greatly needed to see to some things. And yes, once again I had to remind myself that he is the king, and that he does actually have responsibilities now. And if you know me well, then you know that I then tried to kidnap him…which resulted in him 'punishing' me for trying to take the king as my captive. So after another fifteen minute 'delay', I finally made my way outside and into the hearty sunshine.

After last night, I had somehow managed to forget that Kate and Audra were indeed in Narnia. I guess you could say I was a little…_distracted_…the night before. So when the mentioned pair joined me amongst the bees and blooms of the palace gardens, I was overjoyed. I had been sitting quietly on my favorite resting spot, which happened to be the very bench I rested on the night of Caspian's coronation. There I sat, listening to the twittering melodies of the birds, when I suddenly heard the loud chattering of a chipmunk. Turning my head slightly to find the sound, I realized that nowhere in these gardens would I find an actual chipmunk. My mystery was unfolded when two pairs of very white (and definitely not Telmarine) feet came into my line of vision. Looking up, I saw the smiling faces of my cousin and my best friend.

"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Kate smirked. Audra only giggled. That explained the chipmunk.

"You know, I was already here, and you two are the ones who invaded my perfect solitude. So technically, it's you that the cat 'dragged' in," I grinned, crossing my arms. "I can tell you graduated from the most podunk high school in the United States."

"Man," she huffed, "you graduated from there too! Shut up!" Once again Audra burst into another peel of giggles.

"Yea, but I don't speak as if I dug my diploma out of a crackerjack box."

Kate shifted on her feet, her mind reeling for something else to say. "Oh yea! Well…at least my boyfriend didn't stumble out of a fictional story!"

"Mmhmm. And where is _your _boyfriend, Cuz?" I asked, knowing I had finally shut her up. And just as I had expected, she pressed her lips together to hide a grin and narrowed her eyes at me.

"Man, I hate you."

"Ohhh, I LOVE it when you talk dirrrrty to me," I purred. This time Audra collapsed to the ground, holding her sides as she cackled. "Oh, and by the way. You know that fictional story that you just mocked? Yea…you're basically sitting in it. Right now," I said, holding out my arms and surveying the ground as if storybook images would pop out of it at any moment.

Kate just shook her head at me and exhaled slowly, trying her hardest to look pissed. "Sooo, where were you this morning?"

Ah, shit. They noticed that Caspian and I weren't at breakfast. But of course they did! Who wouldn't notice if the king was missing. I could feel butterflies in my stomach…hell, I'm pretty sure they were having a party in there…and I felt my face growing hot. "We slept in late." That sounded like a legit lie, didn't it?

Audra looked slowly from me to Kate. "Yea, I'm sure you…_slept_…late." The emphasis on 'slept' was definitely intentional.

"So how did you…_sleep_? Was it…invigorating?" Kate asked, arching her brows. At this point I was leaning over and hiding my face in my hands, which was growing hotter by the second.

"I'm sure it was spellbinding," Audra added.

I wasn't sure what to say, or if I should say anything at all. No matter what I said, they would see through it, and I wouldn't live it down. Ever. Those two would henpeck the hell out of me about until the day I died. But there was at least one thing I could set straight. "Well, first of all, he's not my boyfriend."

The two girls bit their lips and held back a laugh. "Ahh, I see. So it's simply sex,then." Oh…my…God. Were they SERIOUS? I could have hid myself beneath the bench.

"Wow. I'm impressed. I have to say, Raine, I really didn't think you had it in you," Audra crossed her arms and stared at me with the blankest expression she could muster. She was trying her hardest, too. "Never knew you had it in you to be a harlot."

"Pleeeease. I could never compare to you, Audra," I waved my hand away in mock modest dismissal. At that, Kate clapped her hands together once and let out a great "HAH!" Stepping out between us, she placed a hand on her hip and looked from each of us to make sure we weren't going to lunge at each other.

"Alright, now that you have us curious, what is His Most Gorgeous Majesty to you?"

I suddenly became interested in the thick veins of a leaf growing on a bush beside me. "Wellll…"

At my hesitation, they both looked at each other curiously. "Well?" Audra tried to coax it out of me."

I looked down at my feet shyly, " Wellll…."

"…Okay?" she said again, motioning her hand onward and hinting at her increasing impatience and doubling curiosity.

I shrugged bashfully and swung my feet beneath me. I sort of felt like a little girl again, being interrogated by my friends as they asked me about the boy who held my hand on the playground. No, that never _actually_ happened. But it sounded good, right? I couldn't look up from the ground. Why was it so hard to tell two of the people I loved the most in my life that I was engaged? "Welll…"

"Oh cut the crap. Are you going to admit that he's your boyfriend or not?" Kate finally shouted, letting her redhead side show.

"Yea, and how was the '_sleep_'?" Audra added with a giggle.

I covered my face with my hands again and exhaled deeply. I spread my fingers to look at my friends between them, wondering how, in the ten years we had known each other, nothing had changed. At all. "First of all," I removed my hands, placing them on either side of the bench, "he's NOT my boyfriend. Second of all," I turned and looked directly at Audra, which caused her to bite her lip in repressed laughter again, "…that is NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!"

"Ah, so you _have_ done it," Audra concluded with a low voice. It was positively dripping in suggestiveness.

"…you did the big nasty! Without me!"

"…and without ME!"

Oh. My. GOD. "For the love of GOD and all that is sacred and HOLY!" I was about to launch myself from the bench and tackle them both when I felt an extra presence. That could only mean one thing.

"What in the name of Aslan is the...I'm sorry, what did you call it? The 'big nasty'?" Slowly I turned around and, just as I suspected I would, saw Caspian standing there behind my bench in all his regal glory. When I caught his eye, he winked at me before taking my hand from the back of the bench and giving it a light squeeze. I tried to smile. Before it had been natural to do so in his presence, but the current situation was more than just a little awkward.

"You mean you're not familiar with Raine's weird lingo?" Audra asked Caspian, who smiled at her politely. For a second I saw a look of disappointed envy fleet across her features. Yep…he was amazing AND he was mine. Plus she had Bud. I had found myself envious of the relationship they had, that is before I returned to Narnia and found Caspian again. My point in saying that is, what more could she want?

"Though I fall victim to it quite often, I don't believe I could ever become familiar with some of the odd things that she says," he responded softly to her, setting his hand on my shoulder. Sure, it wasn't a big thing to do, but it sent a few small butterflies in my stomach into a frenzy. The warmth that spread through my body at his touch caused me to blush a little and I closed my eyes. But when I did, I saw memories from last night, which then spurred memories from last night's reprise this morning, which were brought about by the heat radiating from him. And of course, remembering such intimacy with him only made me blush more…not that what we shared last night and this morning was _anything_ to be embarrassed about. In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Kate and Audra were standing in front of us and that there were a few servants tending to the gardens, I would have probably turned and thrown him down and finished where we'd left off only a couple of hours ago. Man, making myself behave was just too hard.

"Man, Raine, you should be glad you found a guy that is actually willing to put up with the crap that falls out of your mouth." Not feeling like I could speak out of the slight embarrassment (and giddiness) I was feeling, I only glared back at Kate, who was smirking. She was just sooo proud of herself.

Caspian, who had noticed my silence, stepped around the bench and took a seat beside me. "How are you this afternoon, my love?" I actually smiled back, even though I knew Kate and Audra wouldn't let the current situation go without humiliating me as much as possible. I also caught the look of suspicion that passed between the two.

"I am fine. And you, cariño mío? I asked him, not being able to help myself as I took his other hand in mine.

He leaned forward to kiss me softly on the lips, and though I had never really minded showing affection in front of others before, doing so in front of these two was a different story. Kissing him back, I could feel their eyes on me, and I knew by this point my face must have been beet red. He pulled away only enough so that we could sit beside each other, and he looked back at the two women with intent in his eyes. "I believe you both are curious about the relationship we hold with one another. I can't blame you, as you're both so close to Raine," he looked down to pull my hand to his lips, where he placed a kiss on it. "What is it you would like to know?" As soon as he said it, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the worst. These two had no shame in these matters.

The two women just looked at each other silently, as if mentally asking who should do the talking. Kate was the first to speak. "Your Majesty-"

"Caspian, please. There shouldn't be any formalities between us, my friends."

"Alright then," she blinked twice before saying, "Caspian, what exactly is Raine to you?"

He glanced from her to Audra beside her, who was waiting patiently for an explanation. "She is several things. My best friend, my closest companion and confidant," he answered seriously.

The two women stood, mulling over what he had said. First they looked confused, and then confusion spun into disappointment, which made a round back to confusion. "But, you mean…you're not…well…" Audra was fishing for the right words to use, and I knew what she was thinking. When he said I was his best friend, they both took it to mean just that—'friend'. None of us had ever really had much experience in the love department, and none of us had ever really been involved with anyone before Audra and Bud got close. Audra may have understood what Caspian meant, but the manner in which he said it may have confused her…who knows. "We thought you two were, you know, in love with each other or something."

I casted a glance at Caspian, who was smiling back at them curiously. "And what would make you think we aren't?"

"Uh, well, you said she's your best friend and all," Kate stammered.

"Your cousin is the center of my world, Kate. She is like my sunlight. If I were a sapling, I would never cease trying to reach for her. Like any flower or tree, I will spend the rest of my days with her, just to be able to stand in her light. It may sound silly, ladies. But my journey through life will never exist unless she is a part of it." Looking back to my two most loved friends, I could see they were as speechless as I was. I tried to catch his gaze, but Caspian was focused on them, as if trying to make them see what he really meant.

"You're the king, though," Audra spoke up with a very small voice, cradling herself in her arms as she looked back at him.

"That I am," he stood from where he was seated beside me on the bench and looked down at them. The glassy looks in their eyes could have meant either immense admiration or that they were unexplainably intimidated by the man before them. But he turned to the side and kneeled before me, and stared so deeply into my eyes that it felt as if he was looking into my very soul. He took both of my hands into his and squeezed them, but I couldn't feel it, so dumbfounded was I by his words. "But to Raine, I am merely a humbled man, praying that maybe, just _maybe_ she will have me in her life. Praying that she will have me at her side, because I cannot be anywhere else. A king I may be, but without her I am nothing." He spoke with a voice that betrayed the weakness he felt with opening his heart to them, even though he had never been one to hide his true feelings to anyone before. It may have been that he was truly worried that my cousin and best friend wouldn't approve of our relationship, or our marriage. Whatever it was, Caspian was desperately concerned, and it was evident in the soft, yet determined voice that spoke the words which were beginning to force tears out of my eyes. I was so distracted by the purest love that I saw in his eyes that I snapped out of my trance when he caught a tear rolling down my cheek with his thumb. He slowly leaned forward and kissed the place where the tear had trailed to, letting his lips linger there before pulling back with a sigh so soft that only I could hear it. He turned to face Kate and Audra, who looked like they were about to cry themselves. I made a mental note upon seeing their faces that tonight would most likely be one of those nights where we could sit around in pj's and stuff ourselves with cookie dough and watch cheesy romantic movies…if either of those things existed here, which I knew they didn't. "Many years ago, Raine and I were very much in love. I would have taken her as my princess then, but it was not time for either of us. That was when she returned to your world. After she came back here, I knew that I could never lose her again. And now that she is here, it _is_ our time." I was in a daze from the combination of his sweet words rolling over me and the gentle rubbing of his thumbs on the back of my hands, so I wasn't able to see the facial expressions of my friends in response to his next sentence. "I have asked Raine to become my wife, and she has blessed me with her hand." I felt another warm kiss on my cheek and finally came back to reality to see Caspian looking at me as if he had been blessed with seeing the most beautiful sunset.

"You mean you're going to make Raine your queen?" Kate asked in awe. "Raine, who has never held any position of power other than being an officer in our high school choir council. You do realize that the only time she's ever stood up to anyone was when she chased Eddie's grandson off her property with a shotgun…and that's only because he kept coming back to harass her about her mother's whereabouts." I looked up at her, not believing that she was actually challenging this. She looked back at me apologetically, but she flashed me a look that told me she was only trying to see how far he would go to convince them.

Caspian looked back at her with a cocked head, his eyes twinkling with a newfound confidence. "You know Raine as you knew her in your world, but you haven't seen her here. I have no doubt in my mind that she can be the queen Narnia needs her to be. In fact," he stood slowly, pulling me up with him so that I was looking up at him. His eyes were sparkling and for a moment I thought I caught a glimpse of the prince he once was, so full of life and light, instead of the healing man he was. "…Narnia claimed her as their princess long before she realized it herself."

"Oh my God," Audra said in a choked voice, gaining our attention. We turned to her and Caspian took a step aside to make room for her as she flew over to me to take me into a bone crushing hug, nearly taking me out in the process.

* * *

**Kate's POV**

He loved her. He really did. I could tell. Yea, I might have been a little skeptical before. That's just natural for me, because I mean come on…the only boyfriend I ever had turned out to be an asshole, and I haven't felt comfortable trusting one since. When we first were introduced to Caspian, I thought he was cool. He was nice enough, and not to mention hot as hell. But I'm skeptical about men, especially when it comes to my friends. And especially when it comes to Raine. Why? Because she's never really had a boyfriend, her dad was hardly ever around when she was growing up, and she had a hard time with her mom's boyfriend. After putting up with that son of a bitch I'm surprised she was able to open up to this guy at all!

Watching him now, I knew he loved her. I don't think I had ever seen so much devotion in someone's eyes. The only time I had ever seen a man look at a woman that way was once when we were with another friend's parents…and let me tell you, that particular couple had it all going right for them. That man worshipped the ground his wife walked on and would do anything for her to make her happy, even if it meant giving up something himself. And looking at Caspian, I saw that in him. He was a king, and from what I could tell of him so far, a pretty badass one. He held the respect and fear of just about everyone around him, yet Raine had brought him to his knees. She was the only one who could make him feel powerless. He had already said with the whole 'planet and universe' bit that he would spend the rest of his life with her, just following her footsteps. If that didn't say devotion from a man of his stature, then I don't know what does.

I honestly didn't mind if she married him. They were obviously in love with each other, and they seemed to be perfect for each other. If being perfect for someone was possible, they had it. On lock. I would have been more than happy to see her marry a man like him, knowing that it's as much as she deserves after what she's been through. And if he truly believed she could be queen, then that meant he must have really believed in her. True, we hadn't really seen her in this world except for what we had seen of her since we'd arrived. And yes, she was quite different. She was more confident, and the little swingy routine thingy she did with her knives the other day was pretty crazy. I remember everything she told me about the war they fought here when she had been here seven years ago, and I know she fought. So she had to be good at…well, whatever people do here.

Audra was smothering Raine. She was hugging her so tightly that I was amazed the girl could still breathe. I looked at Caspian with an arched brow, and he only grinned back, allowing Audra her time with his new fiancé. She had her back turned to me, but I'm pretty sure she was probably bawling on Raine's shoulder. She just tended to get a little over emotional when it came to these things. Finally she pulled herself off of her, and stood back. "I uh…I think I'll go see how Bud is doing. I, ummm, I'll just be going now." She ran off awkwardly and we all just watched her.

"What was all that about?" Raine asked, trying to sound normal. 'Trying' underlined three times. Her face was still red but she was glowing with happiness, and I could see a few fresh tears of joy swimming in her eyes.

In response I just gave my famous 'I dunno' shrug. "You know how she is about these kinds of things. She's so excited that she might just piss herself." We all three laughed, and as I recovered I crossed the small distance between us and gave her a hug. "Congrats, Cuz. I'm happy for you. Both of you." I pulled away and held out my hand to Caspian to shake, but decided against it. He was more than a little shocked when I ignored the hand he had extended and threw my arms around him. When I backed away he was grinning shyly. "Alright, Caspian. She's all yours. Enjoy," I said jokingly, winking at them both.

"Thanks, Kate. Your approval means the world to me," he said. And when he looked at me, I could see that he meant it. I had already felt admiration for this man, but now I knew he was more than admirable. And I couldn't have been happier that it was he Raine was choosing to spend the rest of her life with. The only thing I was worried about was whether or not she would be able to remain here with him. I mean, we wouldn't actually be able to stay here, would we? She did have to leave the first time she was here. Maybe she would be allowed to stay, but then what about us? What if Audra, Bud and I had to leave her behind…would we ever see her again?

I shook those thoughts from my mind, not wanting to think about them yet. I nodded to him, finally seeing that we had an understanding. "I'm curious to see Bud myself. You guys wanna see how he's doing?"

Raine looked at Caspian who was already looking to her for her decision. "Sure. I hope he's doing better than he was," she replied, looking at her feet for a second in concern. Silently, Caspian took her hand in his and began to lead her away, exchanging a look with me. As the three of us made our way back towards the castle, I felt like the loose ends of our lives were starting to be tied. But after all the crap that had happened with Bud and the little boy, I knew the shit was fixin' to hit the fan. I just hoped we were ready for it when it did.

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A/N

Alright, so it wasn't too cheesey, was it? Hopefully it wasn't. I hope you enjoyed the lil bicker episode between Audra, Kate, and Raine. That is a conversation that probably really would come up between me and a few of my friends. It's kinda what I was modeling it from. Don't forget to review!

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	16. Chapter 16

A/N

Okay, it's time for a new chapter isn't it! So you guys are all very aware of how much of a drama queen I am by now, and if you're not...well you'll see. This chapter is a tad bit depressing, but I like it. Hopefully you guys will like it as much as I do.

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Facing Probability

**Caspian's POV**

Gaining Kate's acceptance of our engagement had lifted a weight from my shoulders that I hadn't even realized was there. Audra didn't actually verbally give us her blessing, but judging by her reaction I would say she approved as well. As the three of us walked to the healing wing together, it felt as if I were walking on a cloud. The sun was beaming down upon us, there wasn't a cloud in sight, Raine was beside me, and her friends approved of our relationship together. For now, my day was made.

When we walked into the room lined with beds where Bud and Neron were kept, we found Audra and Doctor Cornelius sitting beside her husband's bed. He still had not awakened, but he looked better than he had before. Audra was holding one of his hands and looking down at him with sad eyes, though she was softly smiling at something Doctor Cornelius was saying. He sensed our arrival and looked up, smiling brightly at the three of us with the same fatherly smile I had known since I was a boy. Audra followed his gaze and waved, trying to hide the emotion in her eyes. "Hey, guys," she said with a half-smile. Kate and Raine went to her side, Kate giving her a hug and Raine patting her on the back while looking down at Bud. I remained for a moment at the door, studying the scene before me. I could see the tightly woven companionship between the four. They regarded one another as family, and seeing it created a feeling of guilt within me. I felt almost as if I was imposing on them, pushing my way into their lives. I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms absentmindedly as I watched the three women hugging each other in an attempt to comfort Audra. They had something together that I had never known, and I suddenly felt very small and insignificant…almost like an old forgotten chair in the corner, unnoticed and collecting dust. But just then Doctor Cornelius looked up to me and smiled softly, a light in his eyes flashing. He knew my predicament, no doubt, just as well as he knew me. He was the closest thing I had ever had to a family. But just as I was about to step out and leave the women to their business (since I felt I wasn't needed), Audra called my name. "Caspian, where are you going?" I halted in my steps, my back still facing to them.

Then I heard Kate speak, and I turned around, as her good-mannered sarcasm filtered through her strong voice. "Yea, dude. There's no use trying to sneak out when we're not looking," she pointed to her eyes, "I've got eyes like a hawk. I'm watching you," she smirked playfully as she motioned from her eyes to me with her index and middle fingers.

This caused me to laugh and I felt my spirits lifting. I glanced at Raine who was smiling lovingly from Audra's side. Doctor Cornelius was behind her, his wise eyes twinkling. I looked back at Kate who was still smirking. "You're right. What was I thinking?"

Raine walked up to me and stood by my side. "It will take some getting used to, I guess. But soon you'll learn that these two chicks are two of the strangest people you'll ever meet." She gestured over at the pair, who were arching their brows at her as if thinking she had no room to call them strange. "Sometimes they can be the biggest pains in the ass. But at the same time they are the most loyal people you could ever know."

"Geeze, you're not going all soft on us, are you? I always knew you were a pansy." And of course, Kate had to lighten the moment.

Audra just started giggling. "I'm so glad we all love each other." Raine gave her a sidelong glance and just shook her head before looking back to me.

"I know why you were trying to sneak away. I know _exactly_ why," Raine prodded my chest with her finger. I shrugged uncomfortably because now everyone was staring at me curiously. Raine took my hand between her two smaller ones and held it. "As you know, Kate is my cousin. Audra is like my sister, and Bud," she looked back to where the unconscious man was lying, "well, he's slowly becoming the brother I've never had…almost like Peter and Edmund." Her eyes glazed over as the names rolled from her lips like they were chores she had forgotten to do. She squeezed her eyes shut before looking back at me. "And soon you will become one of us. My friends are your friends, my love. And if you don't believe me when I say it, then maybe you'll believe it when they tell you themselves." I looked past her to the pair of women who were watching from Bud's bedside. Audra smiled sweetly and nodded. Kate grinned and tilted her head and looked at me with her deep green eyes, leaning against the bedrail. No words came from them, but I understood. They had already accepted me into their lives.

Doctor Cornelius stepped slowly from Bud's bedside and came toward me. When he reached me he set one of his hands on my shoulder and turned sideways to face both me and the others. "My king, it looks as if you're getting the one thing you've always wished for." Raine looked at him and smiled before returning her gaze to me. I looked at him, and I was almost sure that I knew what he spoke of. "Before you stand people who will soon call you a brother."

As I stared at him, I began to realize what he meant. "Like family," I said more to myself than to anyone.

He only nodded. "Yes, dear boy. Like family."

I continued to stare at him, letting his words repeat themselves in my mind until they sunk in. Family…something I had longed for since mine was taken from me. I suddenly felt pressure around my chest and looked to see Raine hugging me and resting her head against it, and the familiar feeling of belonging swept over me like a breeze that blows just before the much needed rain begins to fall in the summer. I reacted nearly half a minute later than I normally would have, but it was all so much to take in. I was engaged to an amazing woman who loved me and I was going to belong to something worth belonging to. Wrapping my arms around her, I returned the hug and kissed her hair. The bubbly feeling of belonging turned to pride, and then it turned to the need to protect. I slowly pulled away from her but didn't remove my arms from where they were comfortably wrapped around her. "The world is not a safe place, and danger is everywhere. The shadow of a threat is all around us, and we must do all we can to stay safe." I looked down at Raine briefly and saw her watching me with a look in her eyes that I couldn't decipher. "If you are to be my family, then I must do all I can to see no harm befalls you."

I felt Raine's hold on me slacken and looked down to see her pull away and step back. She wouldn't look at me and her mouth had set in a small frown. "If that's the case, then you're best bet is probably to just put as much distance as you can between yourselves and me."

Kate and Audra stepped forward then, both looking confused and a little surprised.

"What d'ya mean?" Audra asked, her eyes growing wide. Kate's brows were furrowed and she was looking at Raine as if trying to see what she was implying.

Raine continued to look away from us, and crossed her arms over her chest as if trying to hold herself. "Blaidred was killed, and he was under Adeline's care. Adeline and Neron are both very dear to me. Bud is in a coma, and not only is he one of my closest friends, but he's Audra's husband. Both of the victims are people who are connected to me in some way." She turned away and leaned against the wall for support. "If you'll remember, I didn't come here by choice. I was brought here by Narnians who want me to kill Caspian. Since I refused to do what they want me to, they are attacking those I love in order to get me to follow through." I watched her as she spoke, her fair face growing paler by the second. Her light blue eyes lightened and she looked as if she could faint at any moment. Not being able to bear seeing her in any kind of pain, I went to her side and took her into my arms and turned us both sideways so the others could still see her. "You guys know as well as I do that the attacks aren't over. They'll keep killing and hurting people until either all of you are dead, or I kill Caspian…or worse, kill both of us."

All were silent for a while until Kate spoke up. "You don't know that for sure, though. Blaidred's death may have been a freak accident, and it could have been the same for Bud. We don't even know that the people who want Caspian dead are the people who attacked the castle."

Raine was leaning against me so much that she felt like a motionless doll in my arms, and I began rubbing her back in hopes to comfort her. As I pressed my lips against her temple, she spoke. "Being shot in the heart with an arrow is no accident, Kate. And who else would attack the castle? Who else other than those who want me to kill their king?" Kate stood still, staring at us both with sheer determination glowing in her eyes, while Audra looked at us with her finger on her chin in thought.

"Regardless of who is at the hand of the attack or why we were attacked, one thing is certain," I said, gaining everyone's attention again. The three looked back at me, patiently listening, while Raine nodded against my chest to let me know she was listening as well. I pulled back enough so that I could see her face. "We must all stay together. Or in your words, Kate, we have to watch each other's backs." I snuck a glance her way, and saw her nod her head in approval.

"What if I get you all killed?" Raine asked softly against my tunic. I pulled away and seeing that she wasn't going to look up at me, kneeled so that it was me looking up at her.

"As long as we are all together and looking out for one another, that won't happen." She frowned down at me and her eyes shined brokenly. "But you must promise me, Querida, that you will not stray from us. Not even if you think it is the heroic thing to do in order to protect us. For you are in as much danger as the rest of us are." She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together, taking a deep breath. "Querida, promise me," I coaxed her gently. She stood there, not looking at me and looking as if she was going to burst into tears. But from the corner of my eye I could see Kate and Audra walking to her side from the left, and Doctor Cornelius walking from the right. Soon the three of them were standing with us, each laying hands on her back and arms to let her know they were there.

"Promise us, Raine," Audra said in a quiet yet hopeful voice from beside her. Slowly Raine looked up at her friend, before looking around at the rest of us. Then her eyes landed on me and I squeezed her hands in mine.

"Alright, I won't leave you guys. As long as we can keep each other safe, I will stay." With that everyone smiled with relief and hugged her and gave her encouraging pats on the back. For a moment I,too, felt relieved that she agreed to stay with us. But I also knew Raine well enough to know that she wouldn't stand back and watch us suffer if she felt she could prevent it. If she felt she could do anything to save the rest of us from harm, she would do it. I knew this, for she took the blow that was meant for me so many years ago on the battle fields outside of Aslan's how. Had it not been for Lucy's cordial, Raine would not have lived.

I looked over at Kate who was rubbing Raine's back but looking at me with a doubtful look in her eyes. "I think we're all overlooking an extremely important detail here."

Audra and Raine turned to look at her. "Like what?" Audra asked. Doctor Cornelius was still standing with his palm on Raine's forearm, but he was watching Kate with wise eyes that spoke volumes. For a second I caught his gaze and he winked before looking back to her.

"You're forgetting why Raine was brought back here to begin with. You're forgetting who she was ordered to assassinate." As I was listening to her, I watched Doctor Cornelius, who was eyeing her with an almost fatherly pride. Audra stared back with a clueless expression on her face and Raine looked down at her feet again.

"My dear girl, please enlighten us," Doctor Cornelius urged her, his eyes twinkling despite the graveness of the matter. I could see easily that he was impressed with her sharpness of mind. I blinked, thinking for a moment that it had been Lucy that was speaking instead of Kate.

Kate shifted on her feet and looked from each of us before starting. "Raine was kidnapped and brought back here because those Narnians…or whatever they are…want her to kill Caspian. So while we're all worrying about ourselves, and worrying about Raine pulling a dumbass move to try to save everybody, we're forgetting that Caspian is the one in the most danger."

"Yea, but they want Raine to kill him. They won't do it, that's why they brought her here. So why is he the most at risk?" Audra asked, her eyes furrowed in confusion.

Kate sighed. She shifted on her feet again. "Okay, first of all, Caspian is in danger because he is the king and he is always the most at risk. Second of all, these Narnians are pretty cunning. They're not stupid. They could continue with these attacks and make them more personal than they already are, and hit Raine closer and closer until she loses touch with reality and just loses it and goes crazy, and then she could just kill Caspian out of frustration and exhaustion just to put an end to it all. Third of all, which you might not have thought about, is that they might continue with the personal attacks and eventually realize that she isn't going to break and kidnap her again and then trick Caspian into handing himself over where they could just do it themselves."

"Or they could just kill us both," Raine concluded dazedly.

All four heads snapped in her direction. "And why would they do that?" Audra asked.

"If they find out we're engaged to be married, they might. Out of fear that we may have a child, they would kill us both to prevent the birth of an heir. Think about it…," Raine paused and trembled visibly, "they want Caspian dead. They don't want a Telmarine, or a man in general, sitting upon the Narnian throne. If we were to have a child, that would mean a Telmarine heir to the throne. Then killing Caspian would have been for nothing." When she finished she held herself with her arms again and continued trembling. It was an option I had definitely considered but tried not to think about, and I understood her fear. I took her hands and pulled her to me, cradling her in my arms again.

As I held her, I could feel the tremors rolling through her body and I could feel her heartbeat racing. I began rocking her back and forth as I thought about all she had said. "My God," I said, feeling my own heart stop. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought of it before. Everyone looked at me, but all I could see was Raine trembling in my arms.

"What is it?" The two women asked simultaneously.

I remained silent for a bit longer, rocking Raine for the sake of calming not only her but myself. I took a few breaths and kissed her forehead. "They could kill us at any moment. They know about our relationship or else they would not have chosen her for my assassin. And chances are they know we will marry as well. They could just kill both of us at any time to prevent us from having an heir." I watched as everyone's faces fell and brows furrowed in concentration. Raine's trembling had slowed but she had completely attached herself to me. "That could be their next move."

"Our king has a point, my friends," the aged feminine voice of Adeline called from behind us. I turned my head to see her walk in slowly, due to the limp she had acquired during her escape from the cave. "They took us as captives to their quarters after killing dear Blaidred, but they let us go. They did not even inflict pain upon us, or torture us in the least. However, they did insist that we return to the castle for medical attention. They wanted our injuries to be seen as they were fresh, and they wanted you to hear our account of the attack while we were still frightened. It was a personal strike directly to you, my dear," she said putting an arm around Raine and giving her a hug. "Yes, their attacks have been deep upon our hearts, but they are nothing compared to what is to come. And if they cannot bring Raine to kill Caspian, then they may just kill them both to prevent Raine from living to have an heir."

Our party had grown silent in thought. Raine was leaning more heavily upon me so I picked her up and when I did her head tipped backward. She had grown very pale and her eyes remained closed. "Querida, are you alright?" I asked her, knowing she was probably quite tired from worry. She only mumbled and I knew she had weakened in her state of concern. I looked to the others, who had begun conversing with Adeline about Neron's condition while still mulling over the possibilities we had discovered. "I'm going to take Raine to our room so she can have some rest. Everything as of late has exhausted her and I see no reason to have her staying up when she could rest." They all nodded and smiled weakly as I carried her out of the healing wing and into the direction of our room. As I turned the corner into our corridor, her head rolled to the side and she tucked her nose into the crook of my neck, moaning. I leaned my head down a little so that I could kiss her forehead softly, wanting so much to be able to make her feel better. Finally we reached our room and I gently lowered her to our bed. She was wearing one of the new gowns I had the seamstress make for her, and I knew she wouldn't be comfortable in it. I also could see that she was too tired to change herself, so I raised her to sit against me while I untied her dress and slipped it from her body. I then lowered her back to lie down so I could find her a nightgown. She moaned miserably and I bit my lip, knowing that she would be most comfortable right now in one of my tunics than a gown. I turned around and went to our wardrobe and fished out a tunic for her to wear and then took it back to the bed, raising her up only enough to slip it over her and then laid her back down gently. I pulled the comforter over her and tucked her in as best I could and leaned down to kiss her. Just as I was about to walk away, I heard her call for me.

"Caspian, stay with me. Please," she pleaded through her fatigue. I turned back to look at her and my heart throbbed at the sight of her. She was lying flat on her back with her arms resting on each side of her head, and her head was on its side against her pillow. Her dark hair had fanned around her head and her light blue eyes were almost silver against the navy pillow. They were still glossy and I could see that she was very tired and holding back tears, and her plump lower lip quivered a little. My Raine, my brave, strong, saving Raine, was breaking before my eyes. Sitting on the bed, I watched her sigh in mild relief and she scooted herself closer to me. Her hands reached out for my thigh and she tried to hide her face against it, and I almost grinned at how childlike she looked.

"Querida, you need only to ask," I told her as I laid down on top of the covers beside her, opening my arms so she could bury herself in them. Once she had nestled herself into me, I could feel her trembling again. I wanted more than anything to assure her that everything would be okay, but I wasn't even sure of that myself. Who could know what would come? As I thought, my fingers raked back and forth over her back. "You have nothing to fear, Querida. I won't let them hurt you."

"It's not myself that I'm worried about," she said, her words coming out dry and muffled.

"What is it that you fear then?"

I could feel her arms snaking around me even tighter and I felt her breathing deeply against me. She was shaking so much that I was almost afraid for her health. "They're going to take you away from me." Her voice sounded so small and helpless that it made me want to weep for her. "They know that I won't do it, so they'll do it themselves. _They're going to take you from me_."

I leaned closer to her so that my cheek brushed against hers and I ceased raking her back to wrap my arms completely around her. "That won't happen, my love."

But she didn't hear it. "And then they'll kill me out of fear that I'm carrying your child. But if they've already taken you from this world then I have no more reason nor desire to live." That I couldn't bear to hear.

"No, Querida, don't say that. Don't you even _dare _to think it." It came out a little more harshly than I meant for it to, but my emotions took over. She sniffled against me and I instantly felt bad.

"I don't want to be here if you aren't, Caspian. I can't…I can't live without you. Much less rule without you." Now I could feel moisture against my skin and knew she was crying.

"Raine, my love…please don't cry. Everything is going to be fine. I'm not going anywhere, so don't even worry."

She was now sobbing against me and my heart was breaking slowly. "They will, Caspian! They'll take you from me! And then I might as well throw myself from the cliffs!"

This time I pulled back from her and shook her gently. I regretted it afterwards, but I had to get her to hear me. "No! Don't talk like that. Don't even think it! You will do no such thing!" She collapsed against me and I pressed her against me again, running my fingers through her hair. I held onto her with one hand as if she could be torn away from me, so disturbed by her words was I. "Raine, if they did take me, you must live! You must, so that one of us still watches over Narnia!"

"But what's the point? If I'm ruling alone, there can be no heir. There will be no one to take the throne when I am gone," she moaned weakly through her tears.

"If I am killed and you take the throne, then you must find someone else," I said quietly, doing my best to speak. The thought of her being with anyone else hurt far worse than any physical injury I could obtain. But as painful as it was, it was the logical truth. She would have to find someone else and continue living, not only for Narnia but for herself. Plus, she deserved to have children…to have a family. To have happiness. She deserved that more than anything…even if I couldn't be the one to give it to her. She sobbed harder, and her fingers were digging into my tunic so much that I thought she would tear it.

"How can you even suggest that? How can you even _ask_ that of me? I can love no one…no one but you." She sounded so hurt, so defeated, and yet a soft anger was seeping through it all.

I sighed and felt my own tears springing from my eyes. "It's what you deserve, Querida. You deserve to have a family…and children. You must live a life of happiness, even if it isn't with me." I tried to steady my voice, but the words still came out shaky. It was probably one of the hardest things I had ever tried to say.

"You think I could have someone else's children? You think I could have a family with someone else? Who in the HELL do you think I am! I can't…_I can't_…" Her voice faded once again into sobs. She clung to me as she cried, trying to get the strength to speak again. "I don't want to have a family, Caspian…not if it can't be with you." With that, I felt my tears rolling down my cheeks and I just let them go, not caring to hold them back anymore. She wanted to have my children…she wanted to have a family with me. The one thing I wanted more than anything.

"Then you shall have it, my love." And with that I pulled back from her enough to find her lips, and claimed them with mine. I could taste her tears mingling with mine, and held her tighter, pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. My fingers found the roots of her hair, twisting themselves into it and pulling just enough to feed her hunger, which fed mine. It was only a kiss, but it felt as if we couldn't get close enough to one another. I pulled away first, gasping for air and feeling like I couldn't breathe in enough. But when I saw the helplessness in her eyes instead of desire, I kissed her again with a gentleness so light that I barely felt her lips. Finally her lips left mine and she rested her forehead against mine, sniffling and trying to calm her breathing. Her eyes were shut and I could see droplets of her tears catching in her long, thick lashes. Pink blotchy patches dotted her cheeks from crying, and her lips were swollen and pink from our kissing, but despite how badly she felt, she was still the most beautiful sight I had ever beheld. I gazed at her as she squinted her closed eyes, ridding them of the last few lingering tears, and couldn't imagine ever losing her. If ever there was a moment where I couldn't see her, or touch her, or feel her soft skin against mine, I wasn't sure what I would do. Her breathing was beginning to even, and she had stopped sniffling. She lied still, breathing softly against my cheeks and all I could do was watch her. When I was sure she had drifted into a deep sleep, I pressed my lips against hers once more before kicking off my boots, tugging off my breeches and tunic, and crawling beneath the covers with her. I watched her and stroked her hair until I, too, fell asleep.

What I didn't know at the moment was that she would be once again taken from me, but not in the manner she was the first time. And getting her back would be the hardest thing any of us would ever face.

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A/N

Don't hate me if you're picking up wadded tissues that you've managed to scatter all over the floor right now. Okay, hopefully it wasn't that sad. But it did get to me when I was writing it, so hopefully it at least tugged at your heartstrings a little.

Oh, and I need to ask you guys...I've been writing ahead so that I have enough time to edit each chapter before I post it (because I'm not going to bother putting it up if it isn't good enough), and I wrote a chapter last night that we'll get to eventually. I'm not gonna lie, it's hot and pretty damn dirty. Like, it gets a little bit nasty. Of course, when you get there and read the chapter in its entirety, you'll understand why it came about. I just wanna warn you guys because it's bordering on pornographic...at least to my standards. So I want to know if there is anyone who might be bothered (in a bad way) by reading a hot and heavy sex scene. If you're all game for it, then great. I've already written it so I'm going to post it either way. But if any of you think that you might not want to read the sex scene, let me know...in a review or a private message, whichever works best for you, and I will put a big obnoxiously huge note at the top of the chapter to warn you about the nastiness. I'll also add in more big obnoxiously huge notes into the story to let you know when the particular scene is coming so you can just scroll over it to read the rest of the chapter. I just want everyone to enjoy the story. So if you would rather do without reading that particular part, I will make it so that you can enjoy the rest of the chapter without getting disgusted. Haha.

I think that's all I wanted to say...I can't think of anything else. So anyways, I hope you guys liked it, and let me know what you want me to do about the "dirty chapter". And I feel like i'm beating a dead horse here...but please remember to review!!!

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	17. Chapter 17

A/N

Sorry it's been so long. There are things going on right now that have me on the verge of needing a straight jacket and a padded room. Okay, it's not that bad, but it's close. There's just a lot of crap that's driving me crazy, so I've been tied up. I hope this chapter makes up for the wait, though.

* * *

Kindling the Spark

For weeks after the attack on the castle, I waited in fear. I waited, wondering when the Dark Narnians (as we were starting to call them) would strike again, and wondering who else I would lose. Every day I rose from bed and looked down at Caspian's sleeping form, praying to Aslan and every higher power above that I wouldn't lose him. Sometimes when I found myself alone, when Caspian was busy seeing to affairs only he could touch and Dumb and Dumber (yes, you guessed it, Kate and Audra) were out and about, I would sit and wonder if I would be strong enough when the final moment came. When it came down to the time when I had to make the decision, would I have the strength to make the right one? Would I find the best way to satisfy the Dark Narnians so Caspian could make amends with them? Would I be able to work out a deal so that we could have peace again?

Three weeks had passed and there had been no more attacks, though every step I took I glanced in every direction and every time I slept I kept one eye open. Not because I was afraid I would be attacked, but because I was afraid someone else would be, and that I wouldn't be there to take the heat from it. If they attacked again, I wanted to be there. It was because of me that they had attacked in the first place, and so it would be me that they dealt with next time.

In addition to the lingering fear of the next attack, another thought plagued my mind. Since I was brought to Narnia by my dark captors, I had been here for about four weeks. The last time I was here, which as we all know was also my first, I was here for almost as long as I was now. A throbbing feeling of dread panged in my stomach at the idea of leaving again. Would I have to leave again? Did Aslan intend for me to come back and save Caspian from what he had become, only to leave him once more? I remembered that night…the night I left Caspian and walked through that damn portal. I also remembered the day we walked back to Telmar from the battle at the how. I remembered when Aslan told me I would be going back home_. In your world you still live, just barely. Your family and friends love you and are praying for you to awaken from your deep slumber. You must go back to them. Leave him behind to fix what remains undone in your world. It is something that you must do, Raine. _And so I did as Aslan told me to. I left. I was away from Narnia for six years. Or seven, for Caspian. But now I was back. The jeering question playing on loop in my mind was, was I back for good?

Caspian had really tightened down on security around the castle, and we mostly tried to always have one other person in company at all times. As long as we were inside the castle's walls we didn't worry about it, but if we were outside, even if we were in the gardens, we had to be with someone else. The royal guard now had stricter and more demanding duties, seeing to it that every entrance and every reachable window was covered by watching eyes. We had also prepared permanent guest rooms for Adeline and Neron for when they visited, since it was quite a trek back to their cottage from the castle and it would be impossible for them to actually have enough time to visit and travel safely. Neron had finally recovered fully from his injuries and was back to being his healthy, happy self. It had taken him a while to accept that Blaidred had died in their attack, but his mother helped him through it.

On top of the growing fear that everyone felt, word had also gotten out of our engagement. That bit of news was actually much needed throughout the village, as everyone needed a happy tale, and who doesn't love a wedding? Caspian and I had talked about it many times. Do we marry soon? Or do we wait until the war…or what was beginning to look like the start of a war…is over? Either way would have suited me, but Caspian wanted to wait until every ounce of darkness was cleansed from the land before we publicly united. I seriously doubted that the war would be over any time soon, and though the idea of waiting that long seemed like a bummer, I knew it would be worth it to wait. But just because we were going to have a long engagement didn't mean we couldn't have a little fun with it, right? So…yea…we had _fun_ with it. Every night. Sometimes twice a night. Be jealous.

One night the girls and I had grown to be a bit restless and we were itching for something to do, so we went to the stables and hung out there. You might be thinking that we must have been pretty desperate to just go out to the stables and shoot the bull. I'll put it this way- it rained pretty much all day. Therefore, we had been cooped up inside all day. Chit chatting in the stables and petting the horses was looking pretty good at this point.

"Dude."

I glanced at Kate sideways. "What?"

She continued brushing the horse's coat in front of her while smirking. It was a sorrel that belonged to one of the guards. When she saw Destrier she almost jumped for joy and wanted to brush him, but he was getting picky about who could touch him. Then Audra tried to brush him, but I was the only one of us three he allowed near him. I don't know why. I'm guessing it's a familiarity thing.

"You remember that time we took that trip to the coast?" she asked, setting the brush aside to take up another brush to groom the horse's tail.

"Man, how could I forget? The firepit on the beach…making smores…roasting hotdogs…"

"You can't leave out the bubba teeth incident." At that Audra bursted out in a fit of giggles that startled the horses. They let out flustered whinnies and snorted, stomping their hooves. Her eyes darted to the horse she was petting apologetically.

"God forbid I leave out that part," I paused snickering. "That was just awesome. And that one kid's reaction!"

Kate started laughing, leaning against the fence. "He just sat there at that intersection on his bike…staring at you wearing those bubba teeth…" at that all three of us died laughing. This time the horses flinched a snorted, watching us with dark eyes that didn't seem to show any amusement at all.

We were having a pretty good time, just reminiscing and all. But you know how it goes. When things are going well, something has to go wrong. There's always a balance. A sick, twisted, idea of balance. While we were laughing, a guard stepped into the stables, bowing when we saw him enter.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, my ladies, but His Majesty has sent me to find you, Lady Raine."

I nodded to him politely. "It's fine. Where can I find him?"

At this the guard stared back at me almost unseeingly. That was odd. Then I noticed he was standing very rigid and the pallor of his skin was ashy. Ashy even for a Telmarine. This struck me as unusual. Not to mention the fact that Caspian had sent a guard to fetch me. Caspian normally just came to find me himself, but he could have been too busy to do so. I kept that possibility in consideration. When the guard answered again, I could tell he was making an effort to speak in a normal manner. "He is in the study with the doctor, my lady. He says he would have come for you himself, but there are matters at hand that he cannot draw his attention from. He does ask you to come quickly."

At that I looked at Audra and Kate. "Well, you heard him. I gotta go…are you two going to stay out here for a while?"

They both looked at each other. "Yea, I guess so. We'll come find you when we're done. Unless you come back before that," Audra said.

I followed the guard out of the stable and felt my jaw drop when I saw the sunset. Never before had I seen so many colors in one sunset. It was absolutely gorgeous. I fell behind a little because I was staring at the sky, and the guard must have felt that I wasn't following him. He stopped and turned.

"My lady, he is waiting for you," he said, something sort of like urgency seeping through his voice.

I looked back at him, smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry…I just couldn't help but to look at the sky. It's mesmerizing." The guard gave me an odd look before turning around and heading toward the castle once more. I sighed as I crossed the threshold into the castle, thinking the guard must have thought I was an airhead now.

He lead me the entire way to the study, and when we reached it he opened the door. I walked in, expecting to see Caspian and Cornelius pouring over a large tome or something. But standing in the center of the study, all I saw were the many shelves of books that lined the walls, and the various collections of maps and porcelain busts of previous kings. Caspian and Cornelius were nowhere to be found. I looked back at the guard, but when I did, he turned around and rushed into the hallway, pulling the door shut behind him.

"Wait! What are you doing?" I asked, picking up my skirts and dashing towards him. "Where are they? You told me they were here!" The guard looked back at me with a dead expression before shutting the door. I reached it just after it had closed completely and pulled the handle, trying to pull it open but the guard was much stronger than I was. I tugged and placed my legs on the wall, bracing myself against it as I pulled. But it was no use. Then I heard a click, and my heart filled with dread. I was locked in.

Something was wrong.

Something was _beyond_ wrong.

I pounded my fists against the wall. "Help me! Let me out of here, somebody please!"

I heard the guard's shuffling footsteps, almost as if he was pacing and considering letting me out. "Please! Unlock this door! If you let me out now you will be forgiven!" I heard the jingling of keys, and a hint of relief sparked in my mind. But then I heard his footsteps again, and they were moving away from the door. They grew softer and softer until I could hear them no longer. The guard was gone.

This time I threw myself against the door, hoping to get some attention. But all that resulted in was pain all over my body. I grimaced and pounded my fists against the door again. "HELP! Somebody help me PLEASE!" Pressing my ear against the door, I strained it to catch any movement in the hall. But there was none. I turned and leaned my back against the door, trying to think of an escape. But my mind was flooded by thoughts, and it was all too much. My breathing became labored and I squeezed my eyes shut in an attempt to slow down. My legs were shaking from trying to support me, so I let myself slide to the floor. _Think, Raine, think._

I should have known that something wasn't right…from the moment the guard came to find me. Caspian never sent a servant to find me; he always came to find me himself. Even when he was busy, he still came to find me on his own. The guard's strange behavior should have been another sign that something wasn't right. And now I was locked in Doctor Cornelius's study, and no one knew save for the guard who locked me in here. And then I wondered…why in the hell did he lock me in here? Why did he bring me here under a false order and lock me in here? What in the hell was going on…

_The windows…_ I leapt from the floor and rushed to the windows, looking out to see if there was someone I could call to. But no one was outside. The stables were on the other side of the castle, and calling to Kate and Audra would be useless. Regardless, though, I stuck my head out the window and yelled. "HELP ME! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" I was answered by the humming of locusts.

Perfect. Just perfect. I sat on the windowsill, looking down at the vacant courtyard below me. No one would come for me. No one would even give it a second thought, unless Kate and Audra got tired of waiting on me and came up here. And in that case, would they be able to find the study? They're only hope of finding the study was if they asked a servant, and then another worry struck me. What if all the servants were in on this…whatever 'this' was? If that was the case, my friends definitely wouldn't find me.

_Caspian. _He would turn this place upside down trying to find me. But then, if all the servants were indeed in on this, they would direct him in another direction. So basically, my chances of being rescued were pretty slim. But that was _if_ the servants were in cahoots together. I hoped that it was just something the guard had done on his own. But why?

What was happening? And then it hit. We were under attack again. Why else would I be locked away, out of reach? So that I wouldn't be able to interfere.

* * *

**Kate's POV**

We were going to be in trouble. Well, maybe. After Raine left, we continued to banter…and it quickly escalated in an all out war. The next thing I knew we were throwing tuffs of hay at each other. So, if you're getting an image of the dirt floor and there's hay strewn everywhere, you're thinking about right. And so we were going to be in trouble. We both collapsed against the one remaining pile of hay that we hadn't gotten into yet.

"Where in the heck is Raine?" Audra said as she calmed down from her giggling fit. "She's been gone for a good half hour now."

I picked up another handful of hay and chunked it at her. "How do you know? Our watches don't work here."

"Because when she left the sun was just setting," she said obviously. "Now it's pitch black out there. Even if it hasn't been thirty minutes, she's been gone for a while."

It was true, she had been gone. I kinda thought she would have come back from now. "Yea, well, maybe something is up. That guard did say Caspian was busy…"

Audra snorted. "Yea, busy alright. They're probably doing it."

"IN THE STUDY!?!?" I snorted, but a little louder than she did. Actually it might have lasted about seven seconds. It was a pretty intense snort. "Dude, it's like a library. Why in the hell would they be getting it on around a bunch of books?"

Audra shrugged her shoulders. "Haven't you ever heard of people having sex in the stacks before?"

"Well, yea…in movies. But seriously? Why would someone do that?"

"Maybe there's something stimulating about it."

I scooped up an armful of hay in my arms and ran over to her, dumping it all over her head. "You're sick. That's all there is to it." We collapsed again, laughing. Audra stopped giggling though, and leaned up on her arms, staring outside.

"Really, though. Maybe we should go up there and see what's up. Maybe there's going to be another attack or something."

I looked at her, feeling a cold chill run down my spine. She could have a point. "Okay, but let's give it a little longer."

She looked at me with an arched brow. "Why?"

"Like you said, they could be doing it. Do you honestly wanna walk in on that? Raine's a freak. Bordering on sexual deviant. If we walked in on them in the middle of doing it, are you prepared for what you might see?

Audra looked at me with a blank expression. "It's not like they'll have on bondage outfits."

I bit back a laugh. "You don't know that."

"Pardon me, my ladies, once more," a deep gruff voice said. It kinda startled us and we turned around to see the same guard standing in the doorway.

"It's cool. What is it?"

He stood there, rigidly like he had before, in the middle of the door. "His Majesty and his Lady Raine await you in the gardens. They wish for you to join them."

Audra and I looked at each other. "We thought they were in the study."

The guard looked back at me, stony faced. "They were, ladies. But they retired to the gardens, for the king required fresh air."

"Ahh, okay. Well, Audra, you wanna go?" I asked her.

"Sure."

I looked back to the guard, trying to grin…but I couldn't because something just didn't feel right. "Alright, then. Lead on."

The guard bowed stiffly, which I thought was weird, before turning to lead us towards the gardens. Outside it was completely dark, as Audra had said. And man, were there stars! I still hadn't gotten used to seeing so many stars here. Back home you could barely see them because of all the light pollution from the city.

We kept walking, for forever it seemed. We had been to the palace gardens before, and I knew it wasn't this far. It didn't make sense. But before me I saw the courtyard walls. I was waiting for the guard to make a turn away from the wall, but he didn't. Next thing I knew we were standing outside the entrance. I stopped dead in my tracks and caught Audra's wrist, stopping her beside me. She flashed her eyes at me curiously.

The guard heard our footsteps halt and turned. "They're waiting for you, ladies. We mustn't make them wait much longer. They will begin to worry."

"I think we can find it from here, you don't have to lead us anymore," I said, hoping he would leave us to find the rest of the way on our own. But he squinted his eyes suspiciously, looking us up and down.

"And what would His Majesty think of me then? It is my duty to escort you to him."

Dread filled my stomach. "If it's your duty, then why in the hell are you taking us outside the castle grounds?"

He then paled, and sneered. "How dare you make such an accusation."

His tone was pissing me off. I knew something wasn't right. Caspian and Raine probably weren't even in the gardens. If they were 'busy' then why in the hell would they leave the study so quickly? "And how dare you talk like that to _His Majesty's _guests? So much for hospitality!"

"You do not have to take her insolence any longer, servant. We can take them from here," a smooth feminine voice cooed. It was a sweet voice, but it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I looked at Audra out of the corner of my eye, and she was staring at something past me with wide eyes. Slowly I turned. And you wouldn't believe what I saw.

There were two centaurs. Actual centaurs. And beside them were two dwarves. And a panther. They stood just outside of the courtyard's wall. Something in the back of my mind was screaming at me. And then I noticed these creatures were all dark. Dark hair, dark skin, dark fur. _The Dark Narnians. _This was bad. Really bad. I looked back to the guard.

"You…" I said in a low voice that showed pretty clearly I was pissed. The guard turned and looked at me, his hand on the hilt of his sword.

He turned back to the centaurs. "I have delivered them to you, my lady." He got on his knees and bowed to them, and something sparked within me. Why in the hell was he bowing to these…_things_? The only person he should ever bow to was Caspian, his king!

"You have. And the Lady?" the female asked. I looked up at her to see golden amber eyes glowing against her dark face. Seeing them sent shivers down my spine. As sweet and lulling as the centaur's voice was, something was hitting me like hundreds of needles, pricking my skin. Something in the air was prickling my senses. I looked back at the dark creatures and saw their gazes, which spoke of nothing but utter loathing. I'm guessing the feeling in the air was evil.

"She has been taken care of, as you instructed, my lady," the guard said from where he knelt in the dirt.

Taken care of? What the…. "What do you mean 'taken care of'?" I said angrily, grabbing the guard by the arm and pulling at it. I took him by surprise and he cried out. Then I felt something sharp biting at the back of my neck.

"Step away from him, Daughter of Eve, or you will be lost to this world forever," a gruffer voice said. I let go of the guard's arm and backed up, turning slowly as the sharp object was taken off my skin. And I came face to face with the tip of an arrow. A black arrow.

For the first time since this all happened, Audra's timid voice spoke up from behind me. "What did you just call her?" she asked shakily. "Why did you call her a daughter of Eve?" I never looked away from the arrow, except to look at the huge male centaur that was holding the bow. At her question, his dark eyes creased and his lips curled.

"So your precious friends haven't told you anything, then? Not that it matters, you do not need any facts or history where you're going."

"We're not going anywhere," I hissed lowly at them. My fists were balled up at my sides, not that they would do any good against a bow and arrow. Then I felt something take my hands behind me roughly and wrap something thick and tight around them.

"You are, lass. Either you go willingly, or we shall drag you," an even darker voice said, and I looked over my shoulder to see one of the dwarves clutching my bound wrists. I heard Audra cry and turned to see she, too, had her hands tied behind her back and was being held by the other dwarf. And with a kick to my shins, I was forced forward, still at arrowpoint.

How was anyone going to find us? And what in the hell happened to Raine? Was she okay? Was she hurt? So many questions were racing through my mind, and all I could wonder was what would come of all of this.

Another attack was underway.

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

I needed to see Raine. Even though I had spent nearly the entire day with her, I missed her. It had been a long, dreary day of staying inside the castle to avoid the pouring rain. It had been a heavy, torrential rain that had forced everyone to find ways to amuse themselves indoors. The seven of us, being Raine, Kate, Audra, Doctor Cornelius, Adeline, Neron (yes, he was with us again, Thank Aslan) and myself, had stayed together either in our rooms, the healing wing, or the dining hall. But there was only so much one could do in those three places.

As soon as the rain had let up and the clouds parted to let the sun shine through, Raine and her friends made a mad dash outside for fresh air. I could hardly blame them and would have joined them myself, but there was much to do. It had been weeks since the attack on the castle, but I couldn't rest for the chance it would happen again. As peaceful as those three weeks had been, a growing warning had made itself known in my mind. The ever growing shadow of threat.

I was sitting beside Bud's sleeping form. Over the past week he had awakened from his coma, and he seemed to be fine except for a fractured wrist, which no doubt happened when he was struck and fell. I was pulled from my thoughts when he groaned lightly and began to stir. I readjusted my seating in the chair so that I could face him directly. He opened his eyes and squinted up at me.

"Oh, hey, Caspian. Did you finally get rid of those bickering women?" he asked jokingly, referring to the quartet of women.

I smirked at him. Bud was a goodhearted man, and had become a fast friend since he had been here, even though he had been in out for much of it. "I actually didn't have to do anything. They left on their own…they said something about your monstrous snoring."

Bud blinked and shook his head, his lips curling upward in a smirk. "Let that be a lesson, man. If you ever need to get rid of women, just snore, belch, pick your nose, or break wind. It works every time."

I nearly snorted. "Well I am lucky to have such helpful advice from such an experienced married man."

He lifted up a hand in salute. "Glad to be of service. You'll know soon enough, though. Raine's got her claws in you pretty deep by now, hasn't she?"

This time I did snort. "She has. It seems that I am doomed." This on running joke was just getting better.

Bud and I shared a laugh, but his laughter died down after a while and he looked back at me. "No, but seriously. Where did they run off to?"

"They told me they were going to the stables. Knowing those three, they'll probably be having a hay fight." Bud just looked back at me with a blank expression, not blinking.

"Well, I would get up and find them myself, but I'm sort of stuck in bed. Doctor's orders," he said flatly.

I just stared back at him, trying my best to keep the same flat expression. The staring contest ended with me cracking. "Oh, alright, I'll find them." I got up and strode from the room, shaking my head. Talking with Bud seriously made me feel like I was a young prince again.

When I had finally reached the stables, no one was there. _That's funny. _They had said this was where they would be. I stepped back out and looked at the courtyard around me. There were no peals of mischievous laughter, no cries of joy…or aggravation for that matter. I knew they hadn't gone back inside or else they would have come by the healing wing first. A breeze blew through the air, ruffling my hair, which was already a wavy mess from the humidity of the day's rain. But instead of relishing in a cool evening's breeze, I felt something static on the air. Something that sent chills down my spine and sent icy blasts down my veins.

Evil was among us.

_Where are they? _I thought, running back towards the castle. I had to find them. There was going to be another attack, I was almost sure of it. And we were all in danger. Not one of us was safe.

Not even myself.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N

I didn't mean to stir up any concern...I'm not ditching the story. The reason I haven't updated in a while is because school has started back, and it's taking a while to get settled back into the usual grind. So don't panic, there will be plenty more chapters to come after this one. I just might not update as often as you would like, cuz i'm a bit busy. But anyways, here we go...hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Igniting the Flame

**Lucy's POV**

A bird twittered outside my window and I looked up, hoping to catch a glimpse of it. And there it was. The prettiest little blue bird I had ever seen was perching on a branch just outside my window. It turned its tiny head from side to side, whistling a joyful tune that vaguely reminded me of the songs birds used to enchant me with in Narnia.

_Narnia._

It had been several long years since we walked through the portal that brought us back to England. Several long years since I left my carefree childhood behind, as well. Since the day we found ourselves back in the train station, everything had changed. And of course it would. As time grows older, so do we…along with everything around us. Peter grew older and went off to university, and embraced all he had in his new life but never forgot what he had in his old life in Narnia. Edmund and I kept going to school, always praying to feel the familiar static tingle in our limbs that would take us back to Narnia. But Susan, well, Susan had done everything in her power to forget.

And by the looks of it, she had. Susan had turned completely. She had always been the logical one of us, but logic had taken her over. She was never happy; it was evident in her appearance and her manner. She almost would look haggard if it weren't for the fine clothes she would wear and the stylish make up she would put on to 'look sharp'. I guess Susan did as she was expected. She grew up. But she was no longer Susan. She never smiled, or laughed, or cried…even though many times she looked like she wanted to. At least, if she did cry, it wasn't so that any of us could see. She had never been this unhappy in Narnia. But she was never going back.

I was beginning to think that I wasn't either. Aslan had said that Ed and I would go back. But how long would it be? How much older must we get before he calls us back? Just thinking about it was making me homesick, so I tried to think of something else.

Something on my scalp was itching and I absentmindedly reached up to scratch it, forgetting that my hand was coated in violet paint. I had taken up painting as a hobby, and I think I had gotten to be quite good at it. I groaned when I felt the thick, cool substance seep through my hair. It was just then that I heard the door creak open behind me, and Ed poked his head in. When his eyes landed on me, they moved to my painting. Then he frowned.

"Painting again, I see," he said, strolling over to take a seat beside me. He tried to look at me, but his eyes were focused on my painting, studying every detail.

I sighed, knowing exactly what he was thinking, and what was coming. "Yes, I got bored again."

His eyes returned to me, and I mentally prepared myself for the oncoming lecture. "Lucy, you know that's got to be the umpteenth time you've painted that. There's got to be a good dozen paintings just like this one in the attic."

I looked back to my latest piece of work and grimaced slightly, knowing he was right. Since I'd picked up the hobby, almost every time I would paint I would paint the same thing. It was always a scene of Cair Paravel, of Mr. Tumnus, of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, or of our old group in Narnia. But lately, they had all been the same scene: me, my four siblings, Caspian, and Raine. I knew it was only because of how much I missed being with everyone, and missed how things once were, that I drew it. But I couldn't help it. I heard Edmund sigh loudly and looked back at him.

"Lu, I'm beginning to think we're not going to go back," he said lowly, bracing his hands on his knees.

I shook my head. "Aslan said we would…"

"It's been far too long, though. The first time we came back to England we were only here a year before we were called back. It's been four years," he paused, running a hand through his dark hair. "I think he's forgotten about us, Lu."

I wanted to protest, but I had been wondering the same thing. In my heart I knew that Aslan would never abandon us that way. But I couldn't help but to wonder. It had been so long…and it just felt like he would have called us back to Narnia by now. Then I wondered…

"Do you think Raine was able to go back?"

My brother's eyes glazed over for a second at the mention of our friend's name, but he soon came back. "I don't know. I sure hope she did, though, for both their sakes." I nodded, hoping for the same thing. Poor Caspian…he probably wouldn't have made it without Raine being there. But then, we weren't even sure that she had ever left. We had left before she woke up… "What if she never left?" I asked, with a little too much excitement showing in my words.

Edmund shot me an odd look. "You know she had to. One way or another she would have eventually found her way back, like we did."

He had a point. We didn't try to leave Narnia the first time, but we stumbled upon the wardrobe and found ourselves in the professor's house again…in that same dusty old room. Sooner or later she would have come back, even if by accident. I only hoped that she had gotten to go back. She deserved to be united with Caspian again. Just as much as he deserved to be reunited with her.

I knew just from the little while I had been around them that they needed each other. She was like the sea to his ship, or the wind to his sails.

Or the rain that quenched the drought.

* * *

**Kate's POV**

They hadn't drug us far. After managing to carry us through the gates, they carried us to a small grove of trees just outside. And then, it was the oddest thing ever. They dropped us on the ground and waited.

I was confused as to why they had stopped this close to the castle's gates. They were just standing there, facing the castle as if waiting for something.

The guard that had betrayed us had followed us, and was know kneeling in front of the female centaur. His face was fixed between anger, desperation, and fear as he spoke. "Please, I've done what you asked. Please let her go."

"We will let her go as soon as our task has been completed," the male centaur responded dryly, looking down at the guard as if he was a bug he could squash at any given moment. But the man wasn't giving up.

"Free her! I've done my part, and she is innocent. We have nothing to do with your task! Please let her go!" he begged, clasping his hands together. The female centaur was obviously getting annoyed with him and snapped her fingers. Soon after the two dwarves came and hauled the guard up, dragging him away to where he couldn't bother her anymore. Even as they drug him, I could hear him pleading to let 'her' go, whoever she was.

"You're not very good at this kind of thing, are you?" I asked, feeling the fire in my veins again. I stared directly at the female centaur, knowing I would get the best reaction out of her. Plus she was already irritated.

But when she looked at me, her faced changed to a fixed, sweet expression…almost caring. "Not very good at what?"

"Kidnapping." Yea, I was trying to see what was really going on here. And I would find out, even if I had to pick a fight to do it.

At my response, she smiled widely. "Oh, but we're not kidnapping. We're merely…_bargaining_." Her words sounded smooth and thoughtful, but it gave me the shivers.

"Bargaining?" I asked her, genuinely being confused at this point, and almost not wanting to know the answer.

"Yes, but let us not waste any more precious energy with words. Your precious king is coming."

My head snapped up towards the gate, and I felt knots tie in my stomach. Sure enough, Caspian was riding towards us. And he looked livid. _No, no, no, no, NO!!! _This was not good. I suddenly realized what she had meant by 'bargaining'. I felt the blood draining from my face and my heart began to race at the realization of what was happening. Right in front of me. And there wasn't a thing I could do to stop it.

Caspian stopped just outside the gate and got off his horse, tying its reins to the gate. He stood there and looked directly at me, his face one of complete and utter fury. I knew why he was here. He was here to save Audra and myself. I almost felt like the tears gathering in my eyes would escape as the nagging feeling of helplessness chewed at my pride like a rat chewing at a live wire. Helplessness, along with guilt, knowing what was only moments from happening, and here I sat glued to grassy spot on the ground, tied and unable to move.

Caspian was going to die.

* * *

**Caspian's POV**

Just before I reached the castle, the breeze blew again, ruffling my hair. And then a thought occurred to me. What if they weren't _in_ the castle? What if they weren't inside the grounds at all? I spun on my heels, scanning the grounds for any sign of them. And then I saw something that made my blood run cold.

The gate was ajar.

Before taking another breath I dashed back to the stable and put adequate tack on Destrier, just enough so that I could ride swiftly and without delay. And as soon as he was saddled, I jumped upon his back and shot out of the stables, making my way towards the gate. It wasn't that abnormal for the gate to be open, as the guards came to and fro often. But it was just too much of a coincidence. I couldn't risk not checking it out.

The second we rode through the open gate, I felt my skin prickle. Evil was at work here. It was almost so strong that I could taste it on the tip of my tongue. With the sinking feeling I felt in my stomach, my anger flared at the idea that _they_ could have them.

And the second I saw them, I brought Destrier to an abrupt halt. The Dark Narnians were standing just below a grove of thick trees not far from where I was. They were facing me, as if daring me to come closer. And sprawled on the ground before them were Audra and Kate. They were alive and well as far as I could tell, but their hands were bound behind them and their feet were also tied. They were sitting back to back, and Audra was facing away from me. But the moment Kate saw me, her eyes widened and her face became stark white.

_But where was Raine?_

My eyes darted around them hastily, but she was nowhere to be seen. Kate knew what I was looking for, and she roughly shook her head to let me know she wasn't there. For a brief moment relief flooded me, but then fear flooded me again. If she wasn't with them, then where was she? And how was I going to get Audra and Kate back without risking anyone's safety…

Including my own.

* * *

**Raine's POV**

I was frozen to where I stood by the window. My eyes hadn't moved from the gate, which was swinging back and forth with their sudden departure. I couldn't breathe, much less think, but I couldn't help but to see what I had just seen over and over again.

They had them. They had Kate and Audra.

I ran back to the door, pulling on the knob and praying to Aslan that it would open, but it didn't budge. I didn't bother calling for help, because as much as I had yelled and screamed, no one had heard me. No one would hear me now, either. I raced back to the window, my eyes landing instantly on the open gate. They were gone.

Frustration and desperation collided in my mind and I felt as if I would scream again. I braced myself against the window frame, staring at the gate again. How in the world could I get out? I had to find Caspian, and try to find them….no. I had to find them on my own. If Caspian went after them, then they would have him. And then I realized it. This was their plan…to lure him. They _wanted_ him to come after them. Why else had I been locked in a room and out of the way?

"No…" I said to myself, and this time I lunged myself at the door. I pounded my fists against it and cried at the top of my lungs, "HELP!"

And as if it was an answer to my prayers, I heard the lock click. I stared at the door knob in disbelief, almost afraid of what was happening. It turned slowly and the door began to open, and I jumped backward, clutching my chest. It opened to reveal my savior.

"Cornelius…" I croaked weakly, feeling like I would cry. He smiled briefly before stalking towards me and taking me by the shoulders.

"My dear girl, we must get you out of here," he panted, looking at me in cold seriousness over his spectacles. "Your friends are in trouble, Raine, and Caspian will be soon."

"Wha…?" I asked him, looking at him as if not hearing him. But at that moment I heard something that sounded like the thumping of hooves outside and raced back to the window to look down. What I saw caused my heart to skip a beat, and I wanted to scream. Caspian rode through the gates, and I knew it wasn't for a leisure ride. He knew they were gone, and was going after them. He was riding straight into their trap.

"CASPIAN, NO!" I cried and I fell against the wall, every ounce of fear I was feeling seeping through my screeched words. But he didn't hear me.

"We must hurry, dear girl. I think we both know who must stop this," he said knowingly, squeezing my shoulder lightly. I only nodded softly before passing him and hurrying down the corridor.

I don't think I've run that fast since the battle at Aslan's How. I practically flew down the halls and stairs until I got outside. I didn't bother going to the stables…I wouldn't need a horse. I continued running towards the gate, praying with everything in me that I would make it there in time.

As I raced toward the gate, thoughts began to race through my mind. Images and memories spun before my eyes, bringing up every second I had spent with Caspian and my friends. There were memories of me and Kate in the choir hall at our old school, practicing music and laughing at stupid jokes that I cracked about the songs we were learning. There was a memory from my old marching band days of me and Audra at a football game, sitting in the band section in the stands. We were throwing popcorn at each other out of sheer boredom because our team was losing poorly. More and more memories appeared and vanished before my eyes, and I felt my breathing get heavier, but not just because I was running. I felt tears gather in my eyes at the idea of losing them. And then the most painful memories showed themselves.

I saw myself and Caspian standing beside the stream in his clearing, holding each other and watching the sunset. The image faded and then I saw myself lying beside him in Trufflehunter's home, feeling his fingers running lazily through my hair and wanting to hold onto him forever. Then I saw us after his coronation, both of us holding onto each other as if our lives depended on it. That was one of the happiest nights of my life, but also one of the hardest, for I knew my time in Narnia was drawing to a close.

And then a memory resurfaced that I hoped I would never have to relive. I saw Caspian standing in the battlefield, fighting with one of Miraz's soldiers. I anticipated what was coming next in the memory and saw the other guard, running straight for Caspian with his sword out, ready to run it through him. I saw myself leap forward in front of Caspian just in time to take the blade in my back before it could reach its target. I remembered the indescribable pain I felt as it sliced through me, but knew that I would take it again if it meant Caspian would live.

_But would it be tonight? _

Before I could think too much more on it, I raced through the gate only to stop dead in my tracks.

Caspian had dismounted Destrier and was walking slowly towards the Dark Narnians with his sword out. Beside me the dark stallion was tethered to the gate so that he wouldn't run after his master, and he snorted nervously. I glanced at him to see the whites of his eyes exposed as he threw his head back, whinnying angrily at being left behind. Normally I would have pet him to calm him, but all I could think about at the moment was seeing Caspian's back moving further and further from me.

I opened my mouth to call his name, but my throat had dried so much that it hurt just to inhale. But despite the stinging ache, I had to try. "Caspian!" I cried.

He stopped, now halfway between me and the Dark Narnians. He slowly turned to face me, and the look on his face was enough to send shutters throughout my body. It was dark and threatening, pure hatred showing in every feature. But as he looked at me, it cleared away so that he was actually looking at me. Relief swept over him.

"Querida! You're okay."

I nodded my head roughly, "Yes, but Caspian, you have to come back! It's not s-"

He shook his head. "They've got our friends. I can't abandon them, Raine."

My legs found the strength to move again and I found myself running to him. The minute I reached him I threw my arms around him, pulling him to me so fast that I almost hadn't realized I'd done it. He wrapped his arms around me in response, but I could feel the rigid stance he had kept. "Caspian, don't…they'll kill you!"

He looked down at me, stilling my lips with a finger. I could see the turmoil in his eyes…he was torn between turning back and running away with me, and saving Audra and Kate regardless of the danger. I was about to say something more, but a sickeningly sweet voice sounded.

"Well isn't this heartwarming," the smooth feminine voice drew. My body recognized it before my mind did and it instantly stiffened. I pulled away from Caspian enough to look over his shoulder, and when I saw her my muscles stiffened even more.

I could see her, smiling widely at me from where she stood between where Audra and Kate were sitting. Her hair was blowing softly in the wind that was sweeping across the field, giving her an eerie look. And even more vividly than I remembered them, her golden eyes were glowing menacingly in the falling darkness. She took a step forward so that she almost stood in front of the two women. "Lady Raine, we meet again."

I turned away from Caspian to face her directly, and didn't even bother to hide my hatred. "And so we do."

"Ah, forgive me!" she cried, sweeping her forehead with a long-fingered hand, "I never introduced myself to you before. I am called Willowcrye, my lady. It is no wonder our meeting is going so stiffly when I have forgotten my manners," she finished, her eyes almost staring through me.

"Pardon the lapse in my own manners, but I don't think it's the lack of yours that have turned our 'meeting' sour." My blood was boiling, and I wanted nothing more than to lunge at her and run one of my knives through her. But I didn't have them with me, and hand to hand combat with an armed centaur wouldn't do. I felt Caspian's hand on my arm and looked to see him facing me, but glaring at the centaur.

She tilted her dark head at me, feigning confusion before smiling again. She threw her head back and laughed darkly, even though the sound was almost as musical as water running over rocks. "Oh, I am sorry. I have forgotten the real reason you have come." She held her arms out over Kate's and Audra's heads, spreading her palms downward. "You have come to show your friends how heroic you can be by saving them from our grasps."

"Raine, take Caspian and get out of here!" Kate yelled from where she was sitting, struggling to get her hands free. Audra just nodded, looking from me to Caspian nervously, trying to free herself.

The centaur looked down at Kate as if she were a spider waiting to be crushed, before looking back at me. "Or maybe you have come to keep your beloved fiancé from walking into his death?" she asked in a whimsical voice, mocking everything I was afraid of. But that wasn't what had caused my breath to catch. How did she know he was my fiancé?

For the moment I seemed to have frozen as the fear escalated and my senses began to whirl together. Beside me, Caspian spoke up. "The women hold no importance to you. Let them go, friend," he said suavely despite the terror I knew he was feeling.

Willowcrye let out a cynical "HAH!" before stomping her hooves. "King, you do not know the meaning of the word 'friend'. You assume that you do, after fighting to give my fellow Narnians back our freedom long ago," her words slithered from her lips, venom laced in every syllable. "But you have abandoned us, King."

Anger flared within me, knowing they had no right to talk to him like that. But I also knew what they were talking about. He _had_ abandoned them, so to speak. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen any of the noble Narnians we had all fought alongside all those years ago. Not once since I returned had I seen Reepicheep, or Glenstorm…or even Trumpkin. They had been some of the most loyal Narnians I had known, and they were always at our sides. Now they were nowhere to be found. I felt as if I was the one responsible for all of this. If I hadn't left, then Caspian wouldn't have had to unite the Telmarines and Narnians alone.

I looked from him to the centaur, sighing before tilting my face back up to look at her. "That, I must say, is my fault." In the corner of my eye, I saw Caspian's head snap to look at me. I chanced a glance at him to see shock in his eyes.

"Querida, what are you doing?" He asked me under his breath, taking my arm and trying to pull me behind him.

But I wasn't hiding. Not now. "It is, Caspian. It's my fault that you let it all go. It's my fault that Telmar and Narnia returned to the chaotic state it had been."

We both grew silent, having a silent argument with our locked gazes. But the centaur didn't waste any time in breaking that up. "Ah, but she is right, King. For it is she who abandoned you and left you to rule on your own. It is your precious Queen-to-be who started the first ripple in this dilemma."

Caspian, whose emotions were fleeting back and forth between concern for me and steaming hatred for them, growled gruffly and turned to face her. "Who is it that you want, me or her!"

His outburst only fed her wrath, though. Her eyes narrowed with temptation. "Well, we wanted you, King. But now that you have asked, we should just as well take her." This time Caspian successfully pulled me to stand behind him and he held his sword higher at them.

"It is me that you want. She has done nothing to warrant your malcontent. Do what you feel you must with me, but she stays out of this." He stood, staring at them in steel defiance. I set my palms against his shoulder blades and could feel the heat radiating from him as he fumed. "Also, whatever you do, the ladies you hold captive go free." From where Kate and Audra sat, huddled together in their terror, they looked as if they were going to protest, but the panther slinked up to sit beside Kate, glaring at them in pure threat.

Willowcrye stood there, stroking her chin in genuine thought. But after almost a minute, her lips curled in a snarl. "The captives will go free, as you ask, for they have done nothing. But you and your lady shall come with us."

"NO!!!" Kate screamed. I jumped at her cry and looked to see that both she and Audra had somehow broken their bonds and were standing on their feet. Audra had swiped a dagger from one of the dwarves, somehow, and was standing in a stance that said she would fight until all was right. Kate hadn't a weapon, so when the panther lunged at her, all she could do was go in swinging. My breath caught in my throat as I watched the panther tackle her. They hit the ground and rolled, the panther yowling angrily while Kate cursed. I tried to run to her aid, but Caspian was holding me tightly, watching the scene in fear. A cat that size would surely either kill her or injure her critically. But to our surprise, the panther was suddenly airborne, flying backward from where it had been pinning her to the ground. She quickly got back to her feet, wiping a trickle of blood from her face with the back of her hand.

Audra, though armed, was backing against the trunk of a tree while holding the dagger out in front of her. The dwarf she had stolen it from was closing the distance between them, ready to hit her as soon as he got close enough. But when Kate realized the panther was actually hurt and not coming back for her, she ran to help Audra. She grabbed him by the neck and jerked him backward, slamming him against another tree trunk with a fierce cry. He hit the trunk and shook his head quickly, looking back up at Kate with a look of shock. He almost couldn't get away fast enough from her and stumbled as he ran to stand beside the centaurs, who looked as if they were watching all of this in quiet amusement.

At this point Caspian had me pinned to the ground in his attempt to keep me from running to them and creating even more trouble. I just knew they would come at us next, but they didn't. I felt Caspian stand up and I slowly started to get up and figure out what was going on. Audra and Kate were holding each other up, and Audra was frantically inspecting her friend's cuts from the panther. The Narnians were standing in a huddle, looking at the two of us in quiet contemplation. Now came the part where they would tie us up and probably throw us on their backs to take us away.

But they didn't.

Instead, it looked as if they had suffered more injuries than we had, which was a little sad. The panther was lying spread out on the ground and breathing heavily, and the dwarf that Kate had thrown against the tree was nursing his arm. He must have hurt it in his haste to get away, when he tripped. The male centaur was trying to pick up the panther to most likely put it on his back to carry it, and the female centaur was looking down at the other dwarf in disgust. He was asking her to carry his wounded friend on her own back, and from what I could see, she didn't approve.

Caspian gained back their attention, though. "So what will it be, then?"

Willowcrye looked at us through narrowed eyes and she actually screeched in frustration. The sound was quite loud and filled the air around us, echoing as it hit the castle walls and reflected back. The other Narnians looked frightfully back at her, cowering where they stood as she gritted her teeth. But then her face cleared of emotion and she stared back at him. "You will return to your throne tonight, King. But," she paused and her glowing eyes flickered to land on me. "This is not over. Not yet." The bunch of them turned and began to trot away, the panther riding atop the other centaur's back and the injured dwarf cradling his arm.

I watched in awe as they retreated from us, their dark backs disappearing into the shadow of the woods. One last "WE WILL RETURN!" sounded from the woods before all fell silent. And then another sound broke the silence.

"Kate? Kate!" Audra squealed. I looked just in time to see Kate's eyes roll to the back of her head before she fell to the ground.

"Kate!" I cried as I sprinted to where she was now lying in a heap. Caspian joined my side as we dropped to our knees beside her. I took her arm and gave it a shake, trying to get her to open her eyes. "Kate, open your eyes!" Slowly they opened into small slits.

"Take me back," she said quietly, grimacing. "Burns like hell," was all she said before her eyes closed again and her head rolled to the side.

"KATE!" both Audra and I screamed at the top of our lungs. Before I could do anything, Caspian was picking her up and running back with her to Destrier. Audra and I ran after him.

I caught up with him when he reached the horse's side and carefully handed her to the two of us so he could mount the horse. As soon as he was on his back, he leaned down to take her from our arms. Audra untied the reins from the gate and placed them in his free hand.

"I will see you both inside. Don't linger, you must get inside quickly. I will see you both as soon as I get her to the healers," he said in a rushed voice, his panic evident in his words.

We both nodded, grabbing onto each other at the sight of Kate, who was lying limply in Caspian's arms. "Querida?" Caspian asked me, causing my eyes to snap back at him. When he was sure I was listening, he spoke calmly. "You two start running to the castle, now. I want to make sure you get close enough that a guard can see you before I start off."

Without wasting another second, we both darted towards the castle, running as fast as our legs would carry us. We reached the doors that would take us into the castle and Audra sprinted in before me. I stopped as soon as I was inside and turned to see Caspian pull Kate closer to him and spur his horse's flanks.

_Please let her be okay. Please let her be okay, _I chanted mentally as I watched them race across the grounds. They disappeared from my vision as they rounded the corner of the castle towards the healing wing, and I felt Audra take my hand, pulling me inside to close the door.

* * *

A/N

So there you go. Hope you guys liked it.

Peace,

Rhythmic5


	19. Chapter 19

A/N

So a couple of months ago I told you guys that I was going to write a "dirty chapter". Well, this is the chapter. I'll warn you, it should be rated X. It's pretty raunchy...some of you may be disgusted by it. But, I gave you all fair warning and asked if any of you opposed to my writing one. No one messaged me or notified me saying they didn't want one, so here it is.

If anyone happens to read this and doesn't like what they read, sorry. If you want to leave me a nasty comment, go ahead, but know that it's a waste of your time. I probably won't read any bitchy comments pertaining to this chapter, mainly because I warned you guys and gave you a chance to tell me if you would be offended. For those of you who don't care for intense sexual content, I will insert a page barrier before it begins so you may skip over it and still read the remainder of the chapter that is clean. As far as reviews go, just review as you normally would. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

Here it is...hope none of you are scarred permanently after reading this. Haha...

* * *

Already Gone

"Take a seat and relax," Audra's normally bubbly voice pleaded softly. "And stop biting your nails."

I paused in my pacing and shot her a dark look. "I can't." I started pacing again, rubbing my hands together just below my chin.

"Just try. Kate's gonna be okay."

"Audra, people don't just faint from nothing. No one touched her save for the panther, and from what we could see she wasn't bleeding when she passed out." I sighed deeply at her look of questioning.

"She'll be okay, Raine," she repeated, this time sounding more like she was trying to convince both of us rather than just me.

I glanced at her to see my anguish mirrored on her face and I nodded before settling for leaning against the wall beside the bed. We had run to mine and Caspian's room to wait for him, but both of us were anxious and still very afraid to know what had happened to our friend. As I leaned there against the wall, I couldn't help but to hear the chastising voice in my head telling me that this was also my fault. I banged my head backwards against the wall, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Don't take the blame for this," Audra's soft voice filled the half-dark room again. I cracked my eyes open enough to see her sad face faintly illuminated by the meager candlelight.

"How can I not?" I crossed my arms over my chest as if holding myself. "Every bit of this is my fault. But I don't know what else I can do," my voice faded off to nothing.

"You're biting your nails again," she said.

The door slowly swung open and in walked Caspian. His hair was still windblown from the ride and his gait was evidence enough that he was exhausted. Audra and I both followed his labored path to the bed with our eyes, both of us only guessing what he could be feeling at the moment. He sat down and rubbed his face with his hands before dropping them to his lap. This crap was probably taking ten years off of his life and it was all because of me. I couldn't stand to see him so distressed.

"Caspian?" I asked gently, wanting him to meet my eyes more than anything instead of staring at his feet. At hearing his name, he looked up. He reached out a shaky hand and held it out to me, silently asking me to come to him. Even though the room was pretty dark, I could still make out the anguish in his chocolate eyes and it was more than I could do to see it and do nothing. I took his hand and sat beside him, wrapping my arms around him to offer him any comfort I could. Over his shoulder I could see Audra chewing her lip. And then she sat on his other side and did the same. It probably would have been funny if the situation hadn't been so serious. We sat there silently, each of us just finding comfort in the other. But even though everything was quiet, my mind was spinning at ninety to nothing.

Reeling.

Reeling with possibilities, potential solutions, and last resorts. Somehow we had to get out of this. If we didn't, Caspian, Audra and, well hell, _any_ of us could end up losing our minds. Audra's soft voice drug me from my thoughts.

"Is she okay?" she asked Caspian, rubbing circles on his back. Her voice was calm and steady, but the look on her face screamed disaster.

Shaking slightly beneath my hands, Caspian mustered up the strength to speak. "She was poisoned."

My breath rushed from my lungs and I collapsed against Caspian's back. "Poisoned," I echoed his voice in a whisper. Caspian shook his head.

"All I can figure is that the panther's claws must have been coated in some sort of poison. That panther scratched Kate pretty badly," he said weakly, burying his face in his hands. "And the cuts were deep…deep enough to send the poison straight into her bloodstream."

Audra sniffed and laid her head against Caspian's shoulder, trying to hide the tears that were probably about to escape from her eyes. "Will she live?" were her muffled words from against his tunic. I was silently praying against him that she would. Because if Kate, my cousin and best friend died here in this fantastical world that I _drug her into, _I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"I believe she will."

I pulled myself up from where I was clinging to the fabric on his back and rested my chin on his shoulder. "She will live. She got medical attention quickly and they were able to flush out the poison," he said with a soft determinism in his voice.

"Well let's pray that she does live. But we can't overlook the big picture here," I said meekly from on his shoulder, brushing my cheek against his. I felt him squeeze my hands, which were resting on his stomach.

"The big picture…you mean the reality. This isn't the end, nor is it the worse that can happen," Caspian said, his voice deepening with each word.

"It will get worse, my love." I pulled away and rose to stand in front of both him and Audra. "Something has to be done."

Audra looked up at me with glossy eyes. "Yea, and what are you suggesting?"

"I will go to them."

Caspian's hands flew to my sides so fast that I didn't even see it coming. And as soon as they were on my waist, they were clamped with an iron grip. I looked up at him to see fire blazing in his eyes. "You're not going anywhere, Querida," he said fiercely. The authoritative gruffness was back, and for a second I trembled at the sight of it. But then I felt my strength come back.

"I have to, Caspian."

"No! You aren't going and that's final!" he shouted, pulling me to him swiftly and closing the distance between us. The force in his movement startled something in me. It was stubbornness.

"Then what else would you like to do, hmm? You heard them yourself! They want both of us now."

He made a guttural sound in his throat that sounded somewhat like a growl. "Exactly, Raine. And what good would it do for you to go to them alone? It won't solve anything!" His teeth clashed together as he clamped his mouth shut in anger and his eyes flashed dangerously beneath his dark brows.

For a moment I didn't speak. I just looked as much as I could without trembling into the eyes that were boring into mine. I knew he didn't want me to go…I knew the fear he held for my safety. But I also knew that something had to be done, and there was no way he could go to them. If he went to them they would kill him immediately. If I went to them, they wouldn't. They wouldn't kill me until I could successfully lead them to Caspian…or lead him to them. They would use me as a lure to draw him in. But that wasn't it. I had _something_ that would make my life even _more _valuable to them…at least until they had Caspian where they wanted him. Then they would kill us both.

"If you go to them, you'll die. You're the one they want. They will kill you without a second thought," I said emotionlessly, trying to look at his neck rather than his eyes. I felt myself being lowered to his lap, but I still didn't look away. His hands loosened their grip on me and I felt him pulling me against him. Warm breath blew against my neck and I knew that he had buried his face in my shoulder.

"They'll just as easily kill you, too, Querida. That's why I must go." I barely heard him, he was speaking so softly. But I got his meaning instantly.

"Caspian, no! You can't let them win! You're needed here!" I cried, panic racking its way through me at the thought that he would surrender himself. Then who would look after Narnia?

He shook his head against me, slumping into me. "I'm the reason they are unhappy. I've failed them all. And until I am gone, there will be unrest. If I just let them have me, it will be better for all of you."

I looked to see that Audra had disappeared, but I had no idea when she had gone. I jerked myself away from him and took his chin in my palm, forcing him to look up at me. "Better for all of us, you say?" He looked back at me, all fierceness gone. His brown eyes shined with unshed tears and his desperation swam freely. It took all I had to say my next words without breaking down. "Who will benefit from losing you, Caspian? Okay, so if they win…if they take your life and get their revenge, everyone will be happy again? Nobody else will get hurt. Maybe everything might settle and be the way it should be. The Narnians will continue to war with the Telmarines. The throne will be empty again. You will be gone, Caspian." I had to stop, and I breathed in forcefully trying to push back my tears. I could feel that scorching burning feeling rising in my chest, but I couldn't cry. Not now. "And where will I be? When you're gone and you've left this world in your self sacrifice, in your hope of restoring peace, where will I be? You once told me that you couldn't exist in a world that I'm not in. Do you think you're the only one who feels that way?" I quickly tore my gaze away from his, looking down at my lap when I felt the tears give way. I felt him take my both of my hands in one of his. I also realized I was trembling. "You can't leave me, Caspian. That's not a plea, and it's not a suggestion. It's an order."

His voice cracked when he spoke, and it was deep with his own tears. "Querida, my love, my _queen_," he squeezed my hands, "I love you, more than anything in this world. I love you more than I love myself. I would do anything to make you happy and keep you safe." I saw his lip droop and I knew he would be crying out loud soon. "If it means giving myself up, I will do it. You can continue on for me. You can be the queen this world needs you to be, I _know_ it. I have faith in you, and countless others do as well. I want you to live on, and be the legend I know you're sure to become. But in order for you to do this, I must go. You have to _let me go_, my love," he croaked, letting my hands go to cup my tear soaked face in his hands.

As I sat there in his lap, looking into his eyes that spoke of determination and sacrifice, I made my plan. I wouldn't breathe a word of it to anyone…not even Audra. Caspian would NOT die for me or for anyone else. There was another way, and I knew it. But this, I would have to do on my own.

Alone.

He pressed his lips against mine with an intensity I hadn't been expecting, but returned just as fervently. But the idea of him leaving me to go to his death was still more than I could fathom. His lips parted from mine and he rested his forehead against mine, trying to find his last moments of contentment. But still being overwhelmed at the idea of what he was willing to do still had my mind and my heart whirling. I jumped from his lap and ran from the room, not surprised at all when he didn't call after me. Or he may have called after me, and I just didn't hear him. I kept running until I found myself in front of a familiar door. I doubted that the door would open, but I grabbed the doorknob and jiggled it anyway. In my luck, the door flew open and I threw myself in, landing roughly on the mattress I had only slept on once. It was the room I had slept in after Caspian's coronation…and after Eddie attacked me…this was the room where we had spent our last few moments together. And how ironic was it that instead of spending the last few moments I had with my fiancé, I was crying on this bed. At some point I cried myself to sleep.

While I slept, I had some of the weirdest dreams. Why is it that we always dream about the weirdest things when we're upset, or when we have chaos in our lives? I dreamed that all was well in Narnia, and Caspian and I had married. In this dream I was the queen he imagined me to be, and we had a son. He was seven, and everything a little boy should be. He had his father's dark brown hair, long and soft on his shoulders. He also had his father's dark Telmarine complexion, but he had my eyes, which brought on a sharp and beautiful contrast in his face. That's as much as I could tell in the dream, but I did know that both his parents loved him very much. But you know how it is when you're in the middle of a really pleasant dream. Everything changes almost as quickly as it started. The last thing I saw before I woke up screaming was Caspian jumping into a wall of fire as he threw the boy back into my arms. I saw myself sink to the ground, hugging the boy to my chest and screaming about why Caspian had to die to save everyone. And that's when I woke up, screaming and drenched in sweat. I jumped up from where I had been lying on my stomach and flew straight into a pair of strong, warm arms.

"Shh, shh, you're safe, my love, you're safe," Caspian's soft words rolled over me as his breath fanned against my ear. I gasped, realizing that none of it was real and then I did what I would most likely regret later. I sobbed. Caspian's arms tightened around me and he began stroking my neck beneath my hair, brushing his lips gently along my temple. I cried harder than I thought I could. The dream had been so perfect until the point when Caspian died. I knew that had happened in my dream because he said he would die to restore peace to the world again. But why had we been a family in the dream? Why did we have a child, when realistically we would never get to that point in our life together? I moaned at the pain that shot through me at the thought, and a fresh wave of sobs racked through me. Caspian kissed my cheek this time, and started rocking me softly. "It was only a dream, Querida. I'm here now and there's nothing that can get to you here. Nothing will touch you while I'm here."

It took several minutes before I could reduce the sobbing to gentle weeping, and that's when I finally managed to speak. "Caspian," I moaned, pulling away to look into his eyes. "You c-can't leave m-me." That was all I could get out before I started weeping again, and Caspian pulled me against him again, running his fingers through my hair and sighing deeply.

I don't know how in the hell he did what he did next. I don't know where he mustered up the strength or the courage. But he bent down and put his lips just by my ear and whispered, "I'll never really leave you, my dearest Raine. As long as you hold me in your memory, I'll always be here," he rested his hand on my chest just over my heart, and I felt fresh tears falling down my cheeks.

I knew his decision was made. He was going to go to them to give himself up. This empty feeling came over me and another wave of sobs escaped me. There was a hole opening up in my heart, and I knew that once he was gone it would gape even wider. But I could see that there was no swaying him. All I could do was help him to feel better about what he was about to do, and prepare myself for it. _God, I'll miss him,_ was the only thing I could think before I crashed into him, capturing his lips and kissing him with everything I had. He responded, releasing all the worry and anxiety he was feeling about his decision.

**XX~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~If you don't want to read the dirty part, stop reading now and skim until you see another page divider~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~XX**

What happened next was not something I had planned to do, nor was it something I thought through. I pushed him down backward onto the bed, never taking my eyes from his. He complied, lying back, but the expression on his face declared utter confusion. His eyes were wide and black, and his lips were parted slightly, allowing the heavy breaths he was taking to escape. When his head hit the pillow, I climbed on top of him and sat over his waist, looking down at him and trying my best to remember him as he was now. I looked down, placing my hands on his abdomen just above the waistband of his trousers. "You're memory will live in me until the day I cease to breathe," I said, my voice thick with emotion and desire. When I looked back up, I could see the tension building in his eyes, getting ready to spring like a coil that was wound too tight. His hands found my waist and he started pulling me down on top of him. I let him lower me and as soon as I was resting on him, he raised his head up to capture my lips again. His hands twined themselves in my hair and the way his tongue was dancing against mine was driving me wild. One of his hands trailed to the back of my neck while the other tangled my hair enough to pull it a little, which caused me to gasp into the kiss. Slowly I pulled away, raking my teeth against his lower lip as I stared into his dark eyes. He pushed me back enough so that he could raise up, leaning against the headboard of the bed. Barely inches apart now, he reached his hands around me and I could feel his fingers tugging at the laces that held my dress together. He leaned against me and peered over my shoulder to see, but he wasn't winning. He pulled back and looked at me with a dark twinkle in his eye before reaching down to his boot and pulling out a small knife. My eyes widened at it, but only because I knew exactly what he was planning to do. I felt my breathing increase as he laid me over so he could tear the knife through the laces, also cutting through my corset. The next I knew my dress was being ripped off of my body, and I heard the ruffling sound of the heavy fabric landing on the floor in a lump. I was about to push myself up to resume where we'd left off, but his hand was on my back holding me down. I felt him shift and his legs disappeared from beneath me, and then I felt him sit on top of me. His hands started at the small of my back and traveled upward slowly, letting his fingers glide over every inch of my back. His hands traveled over to my belly, and when his hands stopped just beneath my breasts I gasped through my teeth, creating a low hissing sound. This was just the encouragement that he needed, because he leant down enough that I could feel the silky fabric of his tunic against my back and his lips on my ear. He parted them just enough so a sliver of breath could rush into my ear, causing me to hiss again. I almost felt him smirking when he closed his mouth around my earlobe, dragging his teeth over it. And while I was concentrating completely on the feel of his mouth on my ear, I felt his hands slide over my breasts. His thumbs brushed over my nipples and my mouth flew open, a loud gasp escaping. An almost menacing chuckle rumbled from him and then he was rolling me over to lie on my back. As soon as I was on my back I pushed myself up to sit, staring straight back into his eyes, black with desire. His hands were still cupping my breasts and I scooted closer to him, biting my bottom lip. I reached beneath his tunic and laid my hands on his abs, running them upward toward his chest. But then I felt like getting revenge for the torture he performed on my ear and my breasts. And payback would be sweet. With one hand traveling over his chest, I used the other to grab his crotch, which gained a hiss from him. He closed his eyes, trying his best to keep his composure, but I wasn't done yet. I loosened the grip and then started rubbing the quickly hardening bulge there. He moaned and I felt him give in to me. I grinned and pushed him back down onto the bed, not taking my hand off of his bulge. Once he was down I removed my hand so that I could run my hands over the fabric of his tunic. The tunic was old and worn, and the thread was thin enough to tear, so I ripped it apart, exposing his toned chest. His eyes widened at what I had done and I could see his chest rising quickly with his rough breathing. I bent down and traced the indention around his belly button with my tongue, marveling when I saw him suck in his stomach in response. I crouched on top of him and pressed my chest to his stomach, and slowly slid myself up to his chest. The contact of my nipples against his rugged chest was pleasing and I couldn't help but see the fire that leapt in his eyes. I rose back up and sat on top of his stomach, letting him feel how hot I was. My hands gripped the pillow on either side of his head when I felt his palm rub against the pair of panties I was wearing, sending a shudder through me as I moaned. When he felt my wetness he growled and grabbed me, throwing me back down on the bed. His fingers found the line of my panties and slid beneath it, causing me to gasp loudly and whimper. He smirked darkly before bunching the panties in his hands and dragging them down my legs, tossing them behind him to land somewhere on the floor. And there I laid, completely exposed to him. The only thing he was still wearing were his breeches, and those were soon to be gone as well. I reached my hands up to the string that held his trousers up, and with one stroke it was undone. I grabbed two handfuls of the fabric behind his knees and yanked them down, and he kicked them off before standing on his knees, letting me see him completely bare. I laid there for a moment, drinking in the sight of him, as it could very well be the last. That was before I positioned my knees on either side of his waist and curled my finger towards me, motioning for him to come closer. He crawled over me, dropping on top of me as he claimed my lips again, this time letting me feel his heat and increasing impatience. His tongue probed my mouth, giving me a preview of what was to come. I unwrapped my arms from around his neck and let my hands travel down his torso again, landing on his hips. Then, as dangerously slow as I could, I drug my fingers lightly down to his groin, smirking when he gasped into my mouth. I found his penis, erect and ready, and brushed my thumb over the tip, causing him to gasp again. He parted his lips from mine and braced himself to where he hovered just over me, and his elbows were planted into the mattress beside me. I rubbed the tip between my thumb and index finger, loving the way his eyes squeezed shut and the way his breathing hitched. And then, ever so slowly, I drug them down the length of it, tracing them around the base and then tracing around his sack. I could feel him shuddering over me and could feel him panting. I cupped my palm around his sack and started massaging it, and that's when he became putty in my hands. I rolled him over and sat on top of him, biting my lip in pride when I saw how he automatically clutched the bed sheets. And just as I was about to go down, he stopped me.

"Wait," he said breathlessly, breathing heavily.

I looked up, pausing with my fingers around his shaft. His eyes were narrowed slits and his face was taut as he spoke. "Are you sure you want this…will it only make things harder for you? You know, when I'm gone?" he asked, his voice rising in pitch a little. He almost sounded…nervous?

I gazed at him before lowering down and dragging my tongue over his tip. I raised back up to see his eyelashes fluttering and his knuckles were white with the effort of squeezing the bed sheets he had balled up in his fists. "Indulge me this, just this once." I swirled my tongue around the head, just beneath the rim. He was shuddering again, and I felt him tremble when I cupped his sack again. "And Caspian?" I asked, my voice thick with my pent up desire.

"Yes!" he cried out almost in agony, his eyes squeezed shut and panting.

I pulled my hands away completely and placed them just below my breasts. His eyes flew open and landed on me, and I could see his panic as he wondered why I had stopped. While I knew I had his complete and undivided attention, I ran my hands up and down my body, pressing my breasts and biting my lip as I brushed over my own nipples. I could see the muscles in his jaw twitch as he watched me. Then I let my right hand travel downward. I slipped a finger into myself and gasped mixed with a light giggle of pleasure. I inwardly grinned when I saw his entire body tense at what I had done. I decided I would stop being cruel and finish what I was saying. "Would you do me a favor tonight?" I asked him breathily, making myself sound as airy as I could manage.

He swallowed roughly and nodded, licking his lips. "Anything!"

I looked at him through my lashes and crawled over him, sitting just above his groin, letting him feel everything that had built up. His muscles twitched in his jaw again. I placed my hands on each of his pecks before leaning down and whispering into his ear. "Whatever you do, don't let me forget this night…ever."

Then I saw him grin darkly. "Oh, that you won't have to worry about." He picked me up and threw me back down, climbing on top of me. I gasped loudly as he slid a finger into me, thrusting it in and out. His free hand grabbed one of my breasts and massaged it roughly, just roughly enough to make my heart race. I cried out when he slipped in another finger, and then another as he leaned down and took a nipple into his mouth, lapping his tongue over it like a hungry hound. I was shaking violently and whimpering when he picked me up and turned me around. I thought he was about to put me on my hands and knees so I got ready to muster enough strength to hold myself, but I was wrong. Instead I felt him lower me on top of his lap with my back resting against his chest. And then he lowered me right on top of his now throbbing cock, and I cried weakly when I felt it slide into me. I was sitting so that my knees were on the mattress on either side of him, so I rose until I felt the tip slide to my opening before lowering myself again. Caspian cried behind me and grabbed my waist, moving me up and down in the rhythm he preferred. I bucked up and down while he moved me, and I began bouncing so much that my breasts jumped with each bounce. Once I was able to maintain his rhythm on my own, his hands left my waist and found my breasts, massaging them as I continued to bounce.

I couldn't breathe.

Everything in my body was tight, and I felt like something could snap at any given moment. We were both whimpering and crying out, and I knew that neither of us would last for much longer. Then the coil in me snapped and I felt myself give way. I cried out one last time before collapsing back against Caspian, and the new angle along with my climax brought on his own. He gently lowered us down to the bed, where we laid there, looking at each other through half lidded eyes and panting heavily.

He was laying on his side and staring at me as if he had claimed me for his own. He took my waist and pulled me against him, kissing me passionately before pulling away, speaking against my lips. "Was that unforgettable enough for you?" he asked huskily, sucking on my bottom lip as my mind spun.

But I was still feeling wicked.

"Hmm, I just don't know," I pulled away so that my breath brushed over his lips as I replied. "I'm not sure that is enough to keep me up at night. I need something that will at least keep me in ecstasy for more than one night."

His eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a smirk before he rolled me over onto my back again. I watched in anticipation as he slid down my body, but got confused when he sat at the edge of the bed. "What are you…" I was in the middle of asking when he took my knees and drug me down so that my ass hung on the edge of the bed. And as I watched him part my legs it dawned on me what he was about to do. I watched his face disappear between my legs and I yelped in surprised delight when I felt his lips trill against my labia. Then his tongue slipped in and I felt my breathing increase as it swam through me. My knees locked around his neck as I tried to force him further in, and his brows furrowed as he grabbed my hips, pulling me closer, which took him in deeper. I found my hips dancing with the thrusts of his tongue, and I suddenly needed more. "Casssspian," I hissed, tangling my fingers in his hair. He rewarded me by thrusting his tongue in further. But it still wasn't enough.

I squealed in frustration. "More, Caspian! More."

He removed his tongue and stood up, peering at me over my stomach. "What, is that not enough?"

I shook my head roughly. "Noooo…"

He smirked. "Fine then." He crawled back onto the bed, leaving me panting. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me, so I crawled (to the best of my ability)to his side. "Stand on your knees, and pretend that your knees hate each other," he said, his accent getting thicker with his growing lust. I gulped, spreading my thighs as he told me to. He got up and crawled around me, and I wasn't sure what he was going to do. But then I heard him lying down behind me, and his head appeared beneath me. When I saw him down there I arched a brow, wondering what he was planning to do next. "Alright, now sit."

"Sit? You mean…" I asked, bewildered.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes. Sit." He grabbed my thighs and pulled me down so that I sat on his mouth. And when I felt his tongue dip into me again, I understood why. I almost doubled over, gripping the sheets. I then felt his hands massaging my ass cheeks, and I hissed again. I trembled, and then he hummed into me, his baritone voice causing vibrations that almost left me breathless. I moaned, but the moan turned into a pleading whine at the end. He took that as a sign that I still needed more. His hands left my ass to travel up my body, and I felt him bending me backward. I was now arching backward, which gave me another angle and much more pleasure. Then I realized why he arched me backward. His thumbs brushed over my nipples again and I cried out in surprise. He rolled them between this thumbs and fingers before kneading my breasts. The combination of his torture on my breasts and the swimming routine his tongue was doing inside me sent me spiraling into another climax, and I felt him lap it up greedily. I fell to his side, panting so much that I thought I would faint. I grabbed his bicep and pulled myself to him with all the strength I had. I kissed him, tasting myself on his lips and collapsing against him.

I thought that was it. I was holding onto him for dear life, gasping for air like a fish out of water, with tears streaming down my face. Never had I felt so content with anything as I did with the man holding me. But as he looked dazedly into my eyes, I could still see something sparkling in the chocolate depths of his. He kissed me softly this time, so that his lips felt like feathers against mine. I tried to snuggle into him, but he pulled away, and crawled between my legs again. Even though I was already as content as I could ever be, I smiled up at him. He grabbed my calves and set them on his shoulders before thrusting into me, and I was already so close to being completely spent that it only took a few more thrusts before he sent me flying into a whirlwind of feelings that overwhelmed me to no end. We both screamed each other's names one last time before he collapsed beside me, crawling up to rest beside me on all fours. He fell to my side and looked at me with exhaustion, but I could still see something blazing in his eyes that I knew I would never see again. I felt a tear cascade down my cheek at the undying passion that was dancing in his eyes and he watched it roll. After following it with his eyes, he met my gaze again. He kissed my lips softly again before picking me up and carrying me back to the head of the bed, setting me down and pulling the covers up over me. I was so tired that I could do nothing but turn my head to look at him as I felt myself surrendering to sleep. I felt his lips brush against my forehead as my eyes fell shut, heavy with exhaustion. But what I didn't see after I finally let sleep take me was the fat tear that slid down Caspian's cheek as he wrapped his arms around me, guarding me as I slept.

**XX~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Dirty scene is over~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~XX**

If I had known what he had planned, I never would have allowed myself to go to sleep. If I had known how soon he planned to leave, I would have fought it off to the best of my ability, just to try one last time to persuade him to stay. Because when I awoke the next morning to see that he wasn't at my side, I knew it wasn't because he was tending to his kingly duties. I flew out of the bed, grabbing a handful of my hair as I panicked. A robe was lying in a heap on the floor that I recognized as Caspian's and I threw it around myself since my own clothes were torn from last night. I tied the robe and ran out into the hall, not caring that someone could see me in my inappropriate state.

Propriety could suck it.

I ran right past the study, past the throne room, past the healing wing, all the while earning some very appalled looks from several servants. In none of those places did I see Caspian. I didn't stop running until I reached our room. I stopped outside the door, breathing to hold back my tears as I held my hand over the door knob, not knowing what I would do if I didn't see him in the room. With one last steadying breath I threw the door open, not even jumping when it collided loudly with the wall. Caspian was not in the room. I bit down on my lip, feeling the skin break, but I didn't care. I searched the room frantically, looking for a sign. And then I saw the letter.

It was sitting on the edge of our bed, written in a scrawl that could only be his.

_My Dearest Raine,_

_By the time you read this, I am already gone. I hope that you can forgive me for leaving you so soon. You don't know how hard it was for me to leave your side. Leaving you is the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I only hope that losing me won't hurt you as much as losing you nearly killed me._

_Don't grieve for me, because I don't want you to. I know it will be hard to cope with knowing I am no longer with you, but know that I will have died the happiest man in this world. And that is because of you, Querida. You saved me when you came back. You picked up the broken pieces of what I used to be and put them back together, making me whole once again with your unwavering love. _

_Continue on, Raine. Continue on, not just for me…but for Narnia. They need a queen, and there's no one better than you. Don't dwell on my death forever, because you deserve every bit of happiness that you can find in this world. Find someone who can love you as much as I do, and have the family that I wish I could have given you myself. _

_Don't hate yourself for crying, Querida. There's nothing wrong with crying, but don't do it too much. If you feel you've been crying for too long, think of me and smile. If you start to ache from frowning, remember our moments together and laugh. Sing, Querida. Sing until the sun sets, and then settle down with a lullaby. And most of all, don't forget to love. _

_Tell our friends goodbye for me. Try to find an easy way to break it to them that I won't be back…it will be tough for Neron especially. He has always seemed like a son to me, even though he wasn't. _

_Now comes the hardest part…telling you goodbye. It was something I swore I would never do again. And it's for that very reason that I won't. Instead of goodbye, I'm going to say that I'll see you again one day, when you've done all you can for this world and Aslan sends you to me once again. I love you Raine, more than my very life. Never forget that. I will protect you still, watching you from wherever I may rest. _

_Your Love Forever,_

_Caspian_

I fell to the floor, not even caring if I hurt myself. The agonizing scream that ripped itself from my throat echoed through the room and traveled down the hall, but I didn't care who it disturbed. I laid there, sprawled on the floor on my stomach, Caspian's robe pooled around me. This was where Audra found me before screaming almost as loudly as I had, calling help from every corner of the castle.

* * *

A/N

Alright, well I'm really not sure what to expect from you guys. I'm surprised with myself for even writing a chapter like this, and I debated even posting it. I look forward to seeing what you guys think.

Peace,

Rhythmic5


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